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NASA’s Juno discovering the unknown mysteries of Jupiter
Overview
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) celebrated a key elation Juno spacecraft slipped into the orbit of Jupiter on a mission to probe on 5th of July, 2016. Juno is a NASA’s spacecraft. It is exploring the planet Jupiter. Juno launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on August 5, 2011 and traveled 2.7 billion kilometers since then. The spacecraft was travelling at a speed of 2 lakh km per hour. It was developed by Lockheed Martin and is operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It was a part of the New Frontiers program. Finally it entered the polar orbit of Jupiter on July 5, 2016 to start a scientific investigation of the planet. When it slow down it fired its engine to be captured enough for Jupiter’s orbit. When Juno will complete its mission it will be intentionally de-orbited into the atmosphere of Jupiter. Juno has the intention to measure the Jupiter’s composition, gravity field, magnetic field and lastly the polar magnetosphere. It will also find for proof about the formation of planet. It includes the formation of rocks including the percentage of water present in the atmosphere, mass distribution and its deep winds. These winds can reach up to a speed of 620 km per hours approximately. After the nuclear powered Galileo orbiter, Juno is the second spacecraft to the spacecraft to orbit the planet Jupiter. Galileo orbited for near about 8 years between the year 1995 to 2003. Juno is powered by solar elements, and this is commonly used by satellites orbiting Earth and working in the inner solar system. Juno has the third largest solar array wings which is ever developed on a planetary probe. This is the cornerstone for stabilizing the spacecraft and it also generates power. Juno was selected in the year 2005 as the next mission after the successful completion of “New Horizons”. Juno successfully completed a five-year journey to Jupiter, arriving on July 5, 2016. The spacecraft was developed to orbit the planet Jupiter 37 times over the course of its mission. This was actually planned to take 20 months. Juno's trajectory used a gravity assist speed boost from Earth, accomplished by the planet Earth flyby in October 2013,and this is after two years of its launch on August 5, 2011. During the mission, infrared and microwave devices will be able to measure the radiation coming out from the deep within Jupiter’s atmosphere. Other devices which are abroad from Juno will able to collect information about gravitational field and polar magnetosphere. The cost of Juno was approximately US$700 million (fiscal year 2003) for a launch in June 2009. On July 4, 2016, Juno began its trip around Jupiter. The spacecraft did not land on Jupiter. Juno is called an "orbiter." This kind of spacecraft flies around, or orbits, a planet. Juno will orbit Jupiter 37 times in all. Juno will orbit Jupiter's north and south poles for about one year. It will about 14 days for one trip around Jupiter. Juno will help scientists understand how Jupiter was made. The spacecraft will help them learn how Jupiter has changed, too. The new discoveries can help us understand more about our solar system.
What is FLYBY of the Earth?
In October, 2013 Juno returned to pass by the Earth after traveling for two years in elliptical heliocentric orbit. It used the gravity of the Earth to slingshot itself toward the Jovian system and this is called gravity assist. It was set on a course to Jupiter. The spacecraft received a boost in speed of more than 3.9 km/s (8,800 mph).
How did Juno insert into Jovian orbit?
The gravity of Jupiter accelerated the approaching spacecraft to around 210,000 km/h. On July 5, 2016 between 03:18 and 03:53 Universal Time Constant Earth-received time, an insertion burn lasting 2,102 seconds decelerated Juno by 542 m/s and changed its trajectory from a hyperbolic flyby to an elliptical, polar orbit with a period of about 53.5 days. The spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter orbit on July 5 at 03:53 UTC.
Objectives of Juno
The scientific objective of Juno is as follows:
- To measure the ratio of oxygen to hydrogen, efficiently.
- The presence of water in Jupiter. This will help distinguish among prevailing theories linking Jupiter’s formation to the Solar System.
- To obtain a better estimate of Jupiter's core mass, which will also help distinguish among existing theories linking Jupiter's formation to the Solar System.
- It maps Jupiter's gravitational field to assume the distribution of mass in Jupiter's interior, including interior properties of its structure and dynamics.
- Precisely map Jupiter's magnetic field to assess the origin and structure of the field and how deep in Jupiter the magnetic field is created.
- Map the variation in atmospheric composition, temperature, structure, cloud opacity and dynamics to pressures far greater than 100 bars at all latitudes.
- To distinguish and view the three-dimensional structure of Jupiter's polar magnetosphere and auroras.
- Measure the orbital frame-dragging, known also as Lense–Thirring precession caused by the angular momentum of Jupiter. This is a new test of general relativity effects connected with the Jovian rotation.
