NASA Juno mission to Jupiter

[Rick]

Hubble Maps Show Jupiter Changes and Prepare for Juno

New maps of Jupiter, produced using images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, provide a detailed window on the giant planet's dynamic features. The views come as the agency prepares for its Juno mission to arrive at Jupiter in a little less than a year.

The maps are the first in a planned series of yearly portraits of the solar system's four giant, outer planets, and are intended help scientists monitor how these worlds change over time.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4739

[Rick]

To Jupiter with JunoCam!

When NASA's Juno mission arrives at Jupiter on July 4, 2016, new views of the giant planet's swirling clouds will be sent back to Earth, courtesy of its color camera, called JunoCam. But unlike previous space missions, professional scientists will not be the ones producing the processed views, or even choosing which images to capture. Instead, the public will act as a virtual imaging team, participating in key steps of the process, from identifying features of interest to sharing the finished images online.

"This is really the public's camera. We are hoping students and whole classrooms will get involved and join our team," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4783

[Rick]

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Crosses Jupiter/Sun Gravitational Boundary

Since its launch five years ago, there have been three forces tugging at NASA's Juno spacecraft as it speeds through the solar system. The sun, Earth and Jupiter have all been influential -- a gravitational trifecta of sorts. At times, Earth was close enough to be the frontrunner. More recently, the sun has had the most clout when it comes to Juno's trajectory. Today, it can be reported that Jupiter is now in the gravitational driver's seat, and the basketball court-sized spacecraft is not looking back.

"Today the gravitational influence of Jupiter is neck and neck with that of the sun," said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "As of tomorrow, and for the rest of the mission, we project Jupiter's gravity will dominate as the trajectory-perturbing effects by other celestial bodies are reduced to insignificant roles."

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6520

[Rick]

NASA's Juno Mission 25 Days from Jupiter

NASA's Juno mission is now 25 days and 11.1 million miles (17.8 million kilometers) away from the largest planetary inhabitant in our solar system -- Jupiter. On the evening of July 4, Juno will fire its main engine for 35 minutes, placing it into a polar orbit around the gas giant. It will be a daring planetary encounter: Giant Jupiter lies in the harshest radiation environment known, and Juno has been specially designed to safely navigate the brand new territory.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6528

[Rick]

NASA's Juno Spacecraft to Risk Jupiter's Fireworks for Science

On July 4, NASA will fly a solar-powered spacecraft the size of a basketball court within 2,900 miles (4,667 kilometers) of the cloud tops of our solar system's largest planet.

As of Thursday, Juno is 18 days and 8.6 million miles (13.8 million kilometers) from Jupiter. On the evening of July 4, Juno will fire its main engine for 35 minutes, placing it into a polar orbit around the gas giant. During the flybys, Juno will probe beneath the obscuring cloud cover of Jupiter and study its auroras to learn more about the planet's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6538

[Rick]

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Closing in on Jupiter

Today (6/24), at exactly 9:57 and 48 seconds a.m. PDT, NASA's Juno spacecraft was 5.5 million miles (8.9 million kilometers) from its July 4th appointment with Jupiter. Over the past two weeks, several milestones occurred that were key to a successful 35-minute burn of its rocket motor, which will place the robotic explorer into a polar orbit around the gas giant.

"We have over five years of spaceflight experience and only 10 days to Jupiter orbit insertion," said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "It is a great feeling to put all the interplanetary space in the rearview mirror and have the biggest planet in the solar system in our windshield."

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6543

[Rick]

Juno Spacecraft in Safe Mode for Latest Jupiter Flyby
Scientists Intrigued by Data from First Flyby

NASA's Juno spacecraft entered safe mode Tuesday, Oct. 18 at about 10:47 p.m. PDT (Oct. 19 at 1:47 a.m. EDT). Early indications are a software performance monitor induced a reboot of the spacecraft's onboard computer. The spacecraft acted as expected during the transition into safe mode, restarted successfully and is healthy. High-rate data has been restored, and the spacecraft is conducting flight software diagnostics. All instruments are off, and the planned science data collection for today's close flyby of Jupiter (perijove 2), did not occur.

"At the time safe mode was entered, the spacecraft was more than 13 hours from its closest approach to Jupiter," said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We were still quite a ways from the planet's more intense radiation belts and magnetic fields. The spacecraft is healthy and we are working our standard recovery procedure."

The spacecraft is designed to enter safe mode if its onboard computer perceives conditions are not as expected. In this case, the safe mode turned off instruments and a few non-critical spacecraft components, and it confirmed the spacecraft was pointed toward the sun to ensure the solar arrays received power.

Mission managers are continuing to study an unrelated issue with the performance of a pair of valves that are part of the spacecraft's propulsion system. Last week the decision was made to postpone a burn of the spacecraft's main engine that would have reduced Juno's orbital period from 53.4 to 14 days.

The next close flyby is scheduled on Dec. 11, with all science instruments on.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6653

[Rick]

NASA's Juno Mission Exits Safe Mode, Performs Trim Maneuver

NASA's Juno spacecraft at Jupiter has left safe mode and has successfully completed a minor burn of its thruster engines in preparation for its next close flyby of Jupiter.

Mission controllers commanded Juno to exit safe mode Monday, Oct. 24, with confirmation of safe mode exit received on the ground at 10:05 a.m. PDT (1:05 p.m. EDT). The spacecraft entered safe mode on Oct. 18 when a software performance monitor induced a reboot of the spacecraft's onboard computer. The team is still investigating the cause of the reboot and assessing two main engine check valves.

"Juno exited safe mode as expected, is healthy and is responding to all our commands," said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "We anticipate we will be turning on the instruments in early November to get ready for our December flyby."

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6661

[Rick]

NASA Juno Mission Completes Latest Jupiter Flyby

NASA's Juno mission completed a close flyby of Jupiter on Sunday, Dec. 11, its latest science orbit of the mission.

Seven instruments and the spacecraft's JunoCam were operating during the flyby to collect data that is now being returned to Earth. Juno is currently in a 53-day orbit, and its next close flyby of Jupiter will occur on Feb. 2, 2017.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6695

[Rick]

Juno Captures Jupiter 'Pearl'

Take a look: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6702

[ApophisAstros]

"JunoCam is a color, visible-light camera ......"

So thats the actual colour of Jupiter then....what about previous more colourful astro images?
Roger

[Rick]

It's Never 'Groundhog Day' at Jupiter (Juno)

NASA's Juno mission completed a close flyby of Jupiter on Thursday, Feb. 2, its latest science orbit of the mission.

All of Juno's science instruments and the spacecraft's JunoCam were operating during the flyby to collect data that is now being returned to Earth. Juno is currently in a 53-day orbit, and its next close flyby of Jupiter will occur on March 27, 2017.

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6733

[Rick]

NASA's Juno to Remain in Current Orbit at Jupiter

NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter, which has been in orbit around the gas giant since July 4, 2016, will remain in its current 53-day orbit for the remainder of the mission. This will allow Juno to accomplish its science goals, while avoiding the risk of a previously-planned engine firing that would have reduced the spacecraft's orbital period to 14 days.

"Juno is healthy, its science instruments are fully operational, and the data and images we've received are nothing short of amazing," said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The decision to forego the burn is the right thing to do -- preserving a valuable asset so that Juno can continue its exciting journey of discovery."

More: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6752

[Rick]

Juno Spacecraft Completes Fifth Jupiter Flyby

NASA's Juno mission accomplished a close flyby of Jupiter on Monday, March 27, successfully completing its fourth science orbit.

All of Juno's science instruments and the spacecraft's JunoCam were operating during the flyby, collecting data that is now being returned to Earth. Juno's next close flyby of Jupiter will occur on May 19, 2017.

More: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6792

[Carole]

Images of Jupiter's Great Red Spot reveal a tangle of dark, veinous clouds weaving their way through a massive crimson oval. The JunoCam imager aboard NASA's Juno mission snapped pics of the most iconic feature of the solar system's largest planetary inhabitant during its Monday (July 10) flyby. The images of the Great Red Spot were downlinked from the spacecraft's memory on Tuesday and placed on the mission's JunoCam website Wednesday morning.



https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-juno-spacecraft-spots-jupiter-s-great-red-spot