After the stellar success of NASA's Galileo mission, another spacecraft, Juno, has been locked in orbit around Jupiter for five months now, and on Sunday at 12:04 p.m. Eastern, the solar-powered probe is set to make its third science orbit, the closest flyby yet of the gas giant.
Seven of Juno’s eight science instruments will be energized and collecting data during the flyby.
Artist's concept of the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter. [Photo Source]
Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said
This will be the first time we are planning to operate the full Juno capability to investigate Jupiter’s interior structure via its gravity field. We are looking forward to what Jupiter’s gravity may reveal about the gas giant’s past and its future.
At the time of its closest approach (called perijove), Juno will be about 2,580 miles (4,150 kilometers) above the gas giant’s roiling cloud tops, and traveling at a speed of about 129,000 mph (57.8 kilometers per second) relative to the planet.
Sources for the news and further reading
- https://knowridge.com/2016/12/nasa-juno-mission-prepares-for-december-11-jupiter-flyby/
- https://www.inverse.com/article/25047-nasa-s-juno-spacecraft-preps-for-third-science-orbit
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