NASA – JUNO Mission brand.
Might 15, 2023
The fuel big orbiter has flown over 510 million miles and in addition documented shut encounters with three of Jupiter’s 4 largest moons.
Picture above: This JunoCam picture of the Jovian moon Io was collected throughout Juno’s flyby of the moon on March 1, 2023. On the time of closest strategy, Juno was about 32,000 miles (51,500 kilometers) away from Io. Picture information: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Picture processing: Kevin M. Gill (CC BY).
NASA’s Juno spacecraft will fly previous Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io on Tuesday, Might 16, after which the fuel big itself quickly after. The flyby of the Jovian moon would be the closest so far, at an altitude of about 22,060 miles (35,500 kilometers). Now within the third yr of its prolonged mission to research the inside of Jupiter, the solar-powered spacecraft will even discover the ring system the place a few of the fuel big’s internal moons reside.
So far, Juno has carried out 50 flybys of Jupiter and in addition collected information throughout shut encounters with three of the 4 Galilean moons – the icy worlds Europa and Ganymede, and fiery Io.
Picture above: This composite picture of Io was generated utilizing information collected by the JunoCam imager aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft throughout 4 flybys of the Jovian moon. The decision of the photographs will get progressively higher as the space between spacecraft and moon decreases with every flyby (perijove, or PJ). Picture information: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/ Picture processing, left to proper: Björn Jónsson (CC NC SA), Jason Perry (CC NC SA), Mike Ravine (CC BY), Kevin M. Gill (CC BY).
“Io is probably the most volcanic celestial physique that we all know of in our photo voltaic system,” mentioned Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Analysis Institute in San Antonio. “By observing it over time on a number of passes, we are able to watch how the volcanoes range – how usually they erupt, how vibrant and sizzling they’re, whether or not they’re linked to a bunch or solo, and if the form of the lava circulation modifications.”
Barely bigger than Earth’s moon, Io is a world in fixed torment. Not solely is the most important planet within the photo voltaic system perpetually pulling at it gravitationally, however so are its Galilean siblings – Europa and the most important moon within the photo voltaic system, Ganymede. The result’s that Io is constantly stretched and squeezed, actions linked to the creation of the lava seen erupting from its many volcanoes.
Whereas Juno was designed to check Jupiter, its many sensors have moreover supplied a wealth of information on the planet’s moons. Together with its seen gentle imager JunoCam, the spacecraft’s JIRAM (Jovian InfraRed Auroral Mapper), SRU (Stellar Reference Unit), and MWR (Microwave Radiometer) might be finding out Io’s volcanoes and the way volcanic eruptions work together with Jupiter’s highly effective magnetosphere and auroras.
Picture above: These composite views depicting volcanic exercise on Io had been generated utilizing each seen gentle and infrared information collected by NASA’s Juno spacecraft throughout flybys of the Jovian moon on Dec. 14, 2022 (left) and March 1, 2023. Picture Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM.
“We’re getting into into one other wonderful a part of Juno’s mission as we get nearer and nearer to Io with successive orbits. This 51st orbit will present our closest look but at this tortured moon,” mentioned Bolton. “Our upcoming flybys in July and October will carry us even nearer, main as much as our twin flyby encounters with Io in December of this yr and February of subsequent yr, once we fly inside 1,500 kilometers of its floor. All of those flybys are offering spectacular views of the volcanic exercise of this wonderful moon. The info needs to be wonderful.”
A “Half-Century” at Jupiter
Throughout its flybys of Jupiter, Juno has zoomed low over the planet’s cloud tops – as shut as about 2,100 miles (3,400 kilometers). Approaching the planet from over the north pole and exiting over the south throughout these flybys, the spacecraft makes use of its devices to probe beneath the obscuring cloud cowl, finding out Jupiter’s inside and auroras to be taught extra concerning the planet’s origins, construction, environment, and magnetosphere.
Picture above: These infrared views of volcanic exercise of Jupiter’s moon Io had been collected by the JIRAM (Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper) instrument aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft throughout a flyby of the moon on Oct. 16, 2021. Picture Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/ASI/INAF/JIRAM.
Juno has been orbiting Jupiter for greater than 2,505 Earth days and flown over 510 million miles (820 million kilometers). The spacecraft arrived at Jupiter on July 4, 2016. The primary science flyby occurred 53 days later, and the spacecraft continued with that orbital interval till its flyby of Ganymede on June 7, 2021, which lowered its orbital interval to 43 days. The Europa flyby on Sept. 29, 2022, lowered the orbital interval to 38 days. After the following two Io flybys, on Might 16 and July 31, Juno’s orbital interval will stay fastened at 32 days.
“Io is simply one of many celestial our bodies which proceed to return underneath Juno’s microscope throughout this prolonged mission,” mentioned Juno’s performing mission supervisor, Matthew Johnson of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “In addition to constantly altering our orbit to permit new views of Jupiter and flying low over the nightside of the planet, the spacecraft will even be threading the needle between a few of Jupiter’s rings to be taught extra about their origin and composition.”
Picture above: This downloadable graphic comprises 50 picture highlights from NASA’s Juno mission to Jupiter. Juno accomplished its fiftieth shut go of the fuel big on April 8, 2023. Picture Credit score: NASA.
Extra In regards to the Mission
Juno orbiting Jupiter. Animation Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott J. Bolton, of the Southwest Analysis Institute in San Antonio. Juno is a part of NASA’s New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASA’s Marshall Area Flight Heart in Huntsville, Alabama, for the company’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Lockheed Martin Area in Denver constructed and operates the spacecraft.
Extra details about Juno is obtainable at:
https://www.nasa.gov/juno and https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu
Photographs (talked about), Animation (talked about), Textual content, Credit: NASA/Tony Greicius/Karen Fox/Alana Johnson/JPL/DC Agle/Southwest Analysis Institute/Deb Schmid.
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