Juno was launched into space on August 5, 2011 in the direction of Jupiter, the gas giant. Currently, Juno is 3 million km (1.86 million miles) from Jupiter and is travelling at a velocity (relative to Jupiter) of 37,760 km (23,463 miles) per hour and 109, 745 km (68,192 miles) per hour relative to earth. In only 2 days and 12 hours Juno will have been locked into an orbit around the most massive planet in the solar system.
Jupiter orbit insertion
This stage is the most decisive, as it´s the phase in which the Spacecraft has to change from travelling through space to locking around a planet.
A set of maneuvers have to be accomplished for placing Juno around Jupiter. Frist; Juno´s main engine will be fired up for 35 minutes when Juno is at its closest distance from Jupiter. This slowdown is only the beginning; Juno will gradually get captured by Jupiter´s gravitation, orbiting for two long 53.5 day orbits before Juno finally settles into its normal 14 day orbits.
Atmosphere
Unlike other planets, Jupiter kept its original element composition. This will allow scientists to determine the history of the solar system. Juno´s mission is to measure the amount of water and ammonia in Jupiter´s atmosphere. Microwave synchronized measurements from Jupiter´s core and the earth will be used to reveal its core.
Recording temperature variations and cloud patterns will allow to understand phenomena such as the Great Red Spot.
Jupiter´s magnetosphere
This feature is like a cavity created in the solar wind by Jupiter´s magnetic field that extends millions of km in the sun´s direction and nearly the orbit of Saturn in the opposite direction.
It comprises a bow shock, a magnetopause, a magneto sheath and a magneto tail. Jupiter’s magnetic field interacts with the magnetosphere and fluid circulations at its core. If the magnetosphere could be seen, it would be about 5 times the size of earth´s moon.
Juno and music
Junos´s interactionhas provided Music artists with a source for creating melodies with space themes.
Doing so, many bands and composers have contributed with their own music creations, including the band Nine Inch Nails. Other artists include GZA the genius, Mexican rock band Zoe, Corinne Bailey Rae, and My Morning Jacket lead man Jim James.
Juno is only two days from reaching Jupiter´s orbit insertion and will be able to send the firts close up images of Jupiter´s atmosphere. This will expend our understanding about the composition of its gas cloud cover and its core structure.
