http://missionjuno.swri.edu/ Are you into this? I'm excited to see what we will discover there in jupiter. Btw, this is perhaps the best looking spacecraft
We have already sent a few spacecraft there. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...lYGIDw&usg=AFQjCNFJ0IoHf2cBqpiycEwlZBJE61LGvw I'm looking forward to the James Webb telescope to be launched in a few more years. http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...poD4AQ&usg=AFQjCNF4lB5HkgmprQcTvuSAwKe1WLyzJg Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
Number 9 Bus Shelter, I was under the impression that the Juno mission was only a satellite to Orbit Jupiter and collect observable data from a half dozen or so scientific instruments carried aboard the satellite. Unless the mission parameters have changed (kind of unlikely since the "spacecraft" is already en-route) all observations will be carried out from orbiting around the Planet - and the satellite will not actually enter the atmosphere(?!) of the gaseous Planet. possibly see : http://juno.wisc.edu/mission.html BTW, did you know that Jupiter is considered by some to be a "failed star", or that it is one of the wetter Planets in our Solar System? possibly see : http://www.solar-system-school.de/lectures/planetary_interiors_surfaces_2011/Gasplanets_6.pdf
Obviously it is gonna stay in orbit around Jupiter. A polar orbit, to be more specific. In the end of the mission it will be thrown into Jupiter's atmosphere and will be destroyed.
The Juno spacecraft is a very impressive piece of engineering. Thanks to modern high efficiency GaAs solarcells and low power electronics its possible to power a space craft on just 450 W using a solarflux of just 4% what earth space receives. Still RTGs and Nuclear power could provide benefits over solar power for these types of missions, but without the money to develop and produce said power sources they managed to make do none the less on solar.
I was actually disappointed when the Pluto/Charon probe [New Horizons] was given the go ahead instead of a Europa probe. Europa is probably the best chance of life of some sort to exist within our solar system other then Earth.
ah sweet Goddard pic. I did Juno as part of thesis mission. Is very exciting to have this project go forward.
Yes, it has been in development over 10 years now. They had a funding issue with it which held up construction. They now think it might be able to be sent aloft in 2017 or 2018 if no other problems happen. Could even be before that but I wouldn't count on it. It will be able to see 1000 times farther than Hubble.
