Juno, the second spacecraft designed under NASA’s New Frontiers Program, took off on 5 August, 2011 and entered Jupiter’s orbit on 4 July, 2016. Here are 10 interesting and fascinating facts about Juno spacecraft and its target planet.
The Juno spacecraft will orbit 37 times around the largest planet in the solar system in a span of 20 months to collect data on the planetary core, map the magnetic field and measure the amount of water and ammonia in the atmosphere.
Here are some interesting facts about Juno :
1. Juno is named after the Roman goddess and wife of the mythological figure, Jupiter. Juno is even carrying three 1.5-inch LEGO figurines of the Roman gods and a telescope-armed Galileo Galilei, the Italian astronomer who made important discoveries about the planet.
2. Juno was launched on August 5, 2011, and has been in flight for five years. It will attempt to jump into Jupiter’s polar orbit on July 4 between 8 and 9 pm PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) or between 8:30 and 9:30 am IST on July 5.
3. Since its launch from Earth till orbit insertion, Juno will have travelled 2,800 million kilometres which is more than 18 times the average distance from the Earth to the Sun.
4. The spacecraft’s main body is less than 12 feet (4 metres) in height as well as diameter. It weighs 1,593 kg and carries 1,280 kg of fuel. Nearly 450 kg of this fuel reserve will have burnt in 35 minutes of Juno entering Jupiter’s orbit.
5. It is the first space mission to operate a solar-powered aircraft farthest from Earth. It consists of 18,698 individual solar cells.
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6. The NASA mission has only one shot at entering Jupiter’s orbit. When Juno approaches Jupiter, the planet’s gravity will pull the spacecraft in faster, causing it to reach a speed of more than 250,000 kilometres per hour with respect to Earth. This will make it the fastest human-made object ever. Juno will hit the brakes, firing its main engine in reverse. When the spacecraft has slowed, it will enter the planet’s orbit.
7. The Juno spacecraft carries a payload of 29 sensors, which feed data to nine onboard instruments.
8. The mission aims to understand how the planet was formed, the planet’s interior structure, its atmosphere and magnetosphere. This information is expected to enhance our understanding of the solar system.
9. The total mission cost NASA US $1.13 billion. This cost includes spacecraft development, science instruments, launch services, mission operations, science data processing and relay support for 78 months.
10. The mission will end in less than two years, with Juno leaving the orbit of Jupiter on February 20, 2018. By then, Juno will have travelled 560 million kilometres in orbit around Jupiter.
So, these are the facts about Juno. Share this with your friends.
10 Interesting Facts About Juno Spacecraft
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