posted 11-29-2008 12:25 AM               

NASA Prepares for New Juno Mission to Jupiter

Called Juno, the mission will be the first in which a spacecraft is placed in a highly elliptical polar orbit around the giant planet to understand its formation, evolution and structure. Underneath its dense cloud cover, Jupiter safeguards secrets to the fundamental processes and conditions that governed our early solar system.

"Jupiter is the archetype of giant planets in our solar system and formed very early, capturing most of the material left after the sun formed," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "Unlike Earth, Jupiter's giant mass allowed it to hold onto its original composition, providing us with a way of tracing our solar system's history."

The spacecraft is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., in August 2011, reaching Jupiter in 2016. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter 32 times, skimming about 4,800 kilometers (3,000 miles) over the planet's cloud tops for approximately one year. The mission will be the first solar powered spacecraft designed to operate despite the great distance from the sun.

"Jupiter is more than 644 million kilometers (400 million miles) from the sun or five times further than Earth," Bolton said. "Juno is engineered to be extremely energy efficient."

The spacecraft will use a camera and nine science instruments to study the hidden world beneath Jupiter's colorful clouds. The suite of science instruments will investigate the existence of an ice-rock core, Jupiter's intense magnetic field, water and ammonia clouds in the deep atmosphere, and explore the planet's aurora borealis.

"In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter's wife Juno peered through Jupiter's veil of clouds to watch over her husband's mischief," said Professor Toby Owen, co-investigator at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. "Our Juno looks through Jupiter's clouds to see what the planet is up to, not seeking signs of misbehavior, but searching for whispers of water, the ultimate essence of life."

Understanding the formation of Jupiter is essential to understanding the processes that led to the development of the rest of our solar system and what the conditions were that led to Earth and humankind. Similar to the sun, Jupiter is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. A small percentage of the planet is composed of heavier elements. However, Jupiter has a larger percentage of these heavier elements than the sun.

"Juno's extraordinarily accurate determination of the gravity and magnetic fields of Jupiter will enable us to understand what is going on deep down in the planet," said Professor Dave Stevenson, co-investigator at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "These and other measurements will inform us about how Jupiter's constituents are distributed, how Jupiter formed and how it evolved, which is a central part of our growing understanding of the nature of our solar system."

Deep in Jupiter's atmosphere, under great pressure, hydrogen gas is squeezed into a fluid known as metallic hydrogen. At these great depths, the hydrogen acts like an electrically conducting metal which is believed to be the source of the planet's intense magnetic field. Jupiter also may have a rocky solid core at the center.

"Juno gives us a fantastic opportunity to get a picture of the structure of Jupiter in a way never before possible," said James Green, director of NASA's Planetary Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "It will allow us to take a giant step forward in our understanding on how giant planets form and the role that plays in putting the rest of the solar system together. "

The Juno mission is the second spacecraft designed under NASA's New Frontiers Program. The first was the Pluto New Horizons mission, launched in January 2006 and scheduled to reach Pluto's moon Charon in 2015. The program provides opportunities to carry out several medium-class missions identified as top priority objectives in the Decadal Solar System Exploration Survey, conducted by the Space Studies Board of the National Research Council in Washington.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission. Lockheed Martin of Denver is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment.

posted 04-09-2011 09:04 PM               

NASA's Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft Arrives in Florida

NASA's Juno spacecraft has arrived in Florida to begin final preparations for a launch this summer. The spacecraft was shipped from Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, to the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., today. The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.

"The Juno spacecraft and the team have come a long way since this project was first conceived in 2003," said Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator, based at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "We're only a few months away from a mission of discovery that could very well rewrite the books on not only how Jupiter was born, but how our solar system came into being."

Next Monday, Juno will be removed from its shipping container, the first of the numerous milestones to prepare it for launch. Later that week, the spacecraft will begin functional testing to verify its state of health after the road trip from Colorado. After this, the team will load updated flight software and perform a series of mission readiness tests. These tests involve the entire spacecraft flight system, as well as the associated science instruments and the ground data system.

Juno will be carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket lifting off from Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch period opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:39 a.m. PDT (11:39 am EDT) and remains open through 9:39 a.m. PDT (12:39 p.m. EDT).

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute at San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is building the spacecraft. The Italian Space Agency in Rome is contributing an infrared spectrometer instrument and a portion of the radio science experiment. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

posted 07-27-2011 10:00 AM               

Juno spacecraft encased for launch

In the Astrotech payload processing facility near the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an Atlas payload fairing was closed around NASA's Juno spacecraft on July 18, 2011.

The fairing was then moved on July 25 onto a transporter for its trip to Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

The fairing will protect the spacecraft from the impact of aerodynamic pressure and heating during ascent and will be jettisoned once the spacecraft is outside the Earth's atmosphere. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V on August 5.

Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett/Frank Michaux

posted 07-27-2011 01:38 PM               

NASA's Jupiter-Bound Juno Mated to Its Rocket

NASA's Juno spacecraft completed its last significant terrestrial journey on Wednesday, with a 15-mile (25-kilometer) trip from Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Fla., to its launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The solar-powered, Jupiter-bound spacecraft was secured into place on top of its rocket at 10:42 a.m. EDT (7:42 a.m. PDT).

Juno will arrive at Jupiter in July 2016 and orbit its poles 33 times to learn more about the gas giant's interior, atmosphere and aurora.

"We're about to start our journey to Jupiter to unlock the secrets of the early solar system," said Scott Bolton, the mission's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "After eight years of development, the spacecraft is ready for its important mission."

Now that the Juno payload is atop the most powerful Atlas rocket ever made -- the United Launch Alliance Atlas V 551 -- a final flurry of checks and tests can begin and confirm that all is go for launch. The final series of checks begins Wednesday with an on-pad functional test. The test is designed to confirm that the spacecraft is healthy after the fueling, encapsulation and transport operations.

"The on-pad functional test is the first of seven tests and reviews that Juno and its flight team will undergo during the spacecraft's last 10 days on Earth," said Jan Chodas, Juno's project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "There are a number of remaining prelaunch activities that we still need to focus on, but the team is really excited that the final days of preparation, which we've been anticipating for years, are finally here. We are ready to go."

The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 11:34 a.m. EDT and remains open through 12:43 EDT.

JPL manages the Juno mission for principal investigator Scott Bolton. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems of Denver built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

posted 08-04-2011 01:32 PM               

Atlas V rolled out for Juno launch

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Juno spacecraft rolled out to the Space Launch Complex (SLC)-41 launch pad at 9 a.m. EDT Thursday (Aug. 4). The launch of the Juno mission is set for Friday, Aug. 5 with the launch period opening at 11:34 a.m. EDT.

Credit: ULA/Pat Corkery

posted 08-05-2011 07:35 AM               

Launch Day for Juno

The countdown is moving ahead this morning toward a liftoff at 11:34 a.m. EDT (1534 GMT) to begin the Juno mission to Jupiter.

The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket carrying the four-ton spacecraft is poised at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida within sight of the space shuttle launch pads to the north.

The last probe to fly to Jupiter, Galileo, was sent aloft aboard a space shuttle in 1989. Juno's mission was inspired in part to search for answers to questions raised by Galileo's findings.

The weather forecast is positive this morning and there are no indications of technical issues.

posted 08-05-2011 09:03 AM               

Atlas V tanks fueling

The fuel and oxygen tanks in the Atlas V and Centaur upper stage are being loaded with propellants this morning as the countdown for the launch of the Juno spacecraft to Jupiter proceeds on pace for a 11:34 a.m. EDT (1534 GMT) liftoff.

The Atlas V first stage operates on high-grade kerosene and liquid oxygen, while the Centaur uses liquid hydrogen for fuel along with liquid oxygen to power its engine.

There are no technical issues and the weather forecast calls for a 70 percent chance of acceptable conditions.

posted 08-05-2011 10:39 AM               

Launch on hold at T-4 minutes for technical issue

The launch of NASA's Juno spacecraft has been delayed as the Atlas V launch team works an issue with higher than expected cycles of the Centaur upper stage's helium charge system.

The launch team is reviewing the cycle rate as compared to a launch countdown rehearsal held a couple of weeks ago, and is performing a leak check.

UPDATE: The leak check has been called off as the Centaur helium problem appears to be isolated to the ground-side of the system (as opposed to an issue with the launch vehicle). The team switched to a secondary helium system to clear the issue.

The launch team is now attempting to clear the range of any boats that may have strayed into the hazard area off the coast of Cape Canaveral.

The launch window extends today until 12:43 p.m. EDT (1643 GMT). The countdown is being held at the T-minus 4 minute mark.

posted 08-05-2011 10:59 AM               

Helium issue cleared, launch time reset

Having cleared an issue with the Atlas V's Centaur upper stage and cleared the range of wayward boats, the launch team has re-targeted today's launch of NASA's Juno spacecraft for 12:25 p.m. EDT (1625 GMT).

UPDATE (12:21 p.m. EDT): Launch team gave their "GO!" to launch Juno. T-minus 4 minutes and counting...

posted 08-05-2011 11:25 AM               

Juno's journey to Jupiter begins

"Liftoff of the Atlas V with Juno on a trek to Jupiter. A planetary piece of the puzzle on the beginning of our solar system."

— NASA launch commentator George Diller

NASA's Juno spacecraft lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 12:25 p.m. EDT Friday (Aug. 5) to begin a five-year journey to Jupiter.

Juno's detailed study of the largest planet in our solar system will help reveal Jupiter's origin and evolution. As the archetype of giant gas planets, Jupiter can help scientists understand the origin of our solar system and learn more about planetary systems around other stars.

"Today, with the launch of the Juno spacecraft, NASA began a journey to yet another new frontier," NASA's Administrator Charles Bolden said. "The future of exploration includes cutting-edge science like this to help us better understand our solar system and an ever increasing array of challenging destinations."

After Juno's launch aboard an Atlas V rocket, mission controllers now await telemetry from the spacecraft indicating it has achieved its proper orientation, and that its massive solar arrays, the biggest on any NASA deep-space probe, have deployed and are generating power.

"We are on our way, and early indications show we are on our planned trajectory," said Jan Chodas, Juno project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "We will know more about Juno's status in a couple hours after its radios are energized and the signal is acquired by the Deep Space Network antennas at Canberra."

Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls

Juno will cover the distance from Earth to the moon (about 250,000 miles or 402,236 kilometers) in less than one day's time. It will take another five years and 1,740 million miles (2,800 million kilometers) to complete the journey to Jupiter.

Juno will orbit the planet's poles 33 times and use its collection of eight science instruments to probe beneath the gas giant's obscuring cloud cover to learn more about its origins, structure, atmosphere, and magnetosphere, and look for a potential solid planetary core.

With four large moons and many smaller moons, Jupiter forms its own miniature solar system. Its composition resembles a star's, and if it had been about 80 times more massive, the planet could have become a star instead.

Credit: ULA/Pat Corkery

"Jupiter is the Rosetta Stone of our solar system," said Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "It is by far the oldest planet, contains more material than all the other planets, asteroids and comets combined and carries deep inside it the story of not only the solar system but of us. Juno is going there as our emissary — to interpret what Jupiter has to say."

Juno's name comes from Greek and Roman mythology. The god Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief, and his wife, the goddess Juno, was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature.

posted 08-05-2011 12:30 PM               

Juno flying on its own to Jupiter

At 53 minutes and 14 seconds into its flight (1:18 p.m. EDT), the Juno spacecraft successfully separated from the Centaur upper stage and is now on its own on a path to Jupiter.

"Flight so far looks fantastic," NASA launch manager Omar Baez said, adding that Juno is in the right orbit to start its journey to Jupiter. "We're right on track for that, and everything looked good."

Juno has deployed its three tractor-trailer-size solar arrays. Each array is 29.5 feet long and 8.7 feet wide. There are 18,698 solar cells on the panels to generate approximately 400 watts of electricity once at Jupiter.

posted 08-30-2011 08:52 PM               

Jupiter-bound Juno captures Earth and moon

On its way to the biggest planet in the solar system — Jupiter, NASA's Juno spacecraft took time to capture its home planet and its natural satellite — the moon.

"This is a remarkable sight people get to see all too rarely," said Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "This view of our planet shows how Earth looks from the outside, illustrating a special perspective of our role and place in the universe. We see a humbling yet beautiful view of ourselves."

The image was taken by the spacecraft's camera, JunoCam, on Aug. 26 when the spacecraft was about 6 million miles (9.66 million kilometers) away. The image was taken as part of the mission team's checkout of the Juno spacecraft. The team is conducting its initial detailed checks on the spacecraft's instruments and subsystems after its launch on Aug. 5.

Juno covered the distance from Earth to the moon (about 250,000 miles or 402,000 kilometers) in less than one day's time. It will take the spacecraft another five years and 1,740 million miles (2,800 million kilometers) to complete the journey to Jupiter.

The spacecraft will orbit the planet's poles 33 times and use its eight science instruments to probe beneath the gas giant's obscuring cloud cover to learn more about its origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere, and look for a potential solid planetary core.

The solar-powered Juno spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 9:25 a.m. PDT (12:25 p.m. EDT) on Aug. 5 to begin its five-year journey to Jupiter.

posted 09-05-2012 08:02 PM               

Juno maneuvering for Earth flyby

Navigators and mission controllers for NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter have decided to reschedule the mission's second deep space maneuver for Sept. 14. The maneuver will set the stage for a gravity assist from a flyby of Earth on Oct. 9, 2013. Juno will arrive at Jupiter on July 4, 2016.

Juno's first deep space maneuver took place Aug. 30. The maneuver, as planned, changed the spacecraft's velocity by about 770 mph (344 meters a second) and lasted 29 minutes 39 seconds. Upon review of mission data following the burn, the team determined that although the first maneuver was completely successful, one of the propellant pressures within the spacecraft's propulsion system was higher than expected. The team has decided to take an extra 10 days to analyze this increase and consider mitigation options, placing the second deep space maneuver on Sept. 14. There will be no impact to the mission's timeline or science.

The two deep space maneuvers place Juno on course for its Earth flyby, which will occur as the spacecraft is completing one elliptical orbit around the sun. The Earth flyby will boost Juno's velocity by 16,330 mph (about 7.3 kilometers per second), placing the spacecraft on its final flight path for Jupiter. The closest approach to Earth on Oct. 9, 2013, will occur when Juno is at an altitude of about 310 miles (500 kilometers).