June 28, 2016
Another birthday means another year in which the universe got to experience itself through your particular combination of wonder and will.
Juno Mission Trailer
Birthday · June 28, 2016
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published June 28, 2016 · Video still. Full image credits are on the original APOD entry below. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
What will NASA's Juno spacecraft find when it reaches Jupiter next Monday? Very little, if Juno does not survive Jupiter Orbit Insertion, a complex series of operations in an unknown environment just above Jupiter's cloud tops. If successful, as explained in the featured video, Juno will swoop around Jupiter, passing closer than any previous spacecraft. The goal is to decelerate, enter into a highly elliptical orbit, and begin two years of science operations. Juno's science mission objectives include mapping Jupiter's deep structure, determining how much water is in Jupiter's atmosphere, and exploring Jupiter's powerful magnetic field and how it creates auroras around Jupiter's poles. These lessons hold promise to help humanity better understand the history of our Solar System and the dynamics of our Earth. Juno is powered predominantly by three large solar panels, each measuring a side of small truck. Launched in 2011, Juno's planned mission will take it around the Jovian giant 37 times, after which, to avoid contaminating Europa with microbes, it will be directed to dive into Jupiter's thick atmosphere, where it will break apart and melt. Share the sky: NASA and APOD APIs