Jupiter mission reaches its destination.

Warrigal

Warrigal

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Sydney, Australia
For those members interested in space programs.

Right now a spacecraft the size of a tennis court is hurtling towards Jupiter at a speed of 30 km per second. Over the next four days it will more than double in speed as it feels the planet’s huge gravitational pull, before slamming into reverse and going into orbit.

The craft, called Juno, will tear through the metal-frying radiation belt that surrounds the gas giant in a punishing close encounter that will be repeated dozens of times in the next 18 months. Its unusual, lopsided orbit will allow Juno to analyse every inch of the planet below.

Why is NASA going to all this trouble?
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Read on if you are still interested: http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/2016/06/30/jupiter-flight-nearing-destination/
 

There are some great videos on the official NASA site. I was looking at them last night when finding something for my grandson to look at since he's interested in space. The videos are well-done.
 

This article is very good and important. This should tell us what we don’t know — and Juno should reveal — is what the picture is like beneath the planet’s outer clouds. Knowing Jupiter’s inner composition will rule out some theories of planetary and solar evolution for good, bringing us closer to understanding how solar and planetary systems form.
 
In a bit over an hour, we should expect confirmation that an orbital trajectory has been successfully achieved. Or not.

A NASA spacecraft is poised for a one-shot attempt to slip into Jupiter's orbit for the start of a 20-month-long dance around the solar system's largest planet to learn how and where it formed.

Flight controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, were preparing for a long night, as the Juno probe streaked closer toward the gas giant at 200 times the speed of sound.

Confirmation of whether Juno had successfully placed itself into polar orbit around Jupiter was not expected until (Australian time?)11:53pm EDT on Monday (1:53pm AEST on Tuesday).

Launched from Florida nearly five years ago, Juno must be precisely positioned, ignite its main engine at exactly
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the right time and keep it burning for 35 minutes to shed enough speed so it can be captured by Jupiter's gravity.

If anything goes even slightly awry, Juno will sail helplessly past Jupiter, unable to complete a $1-billion mission to peer through the planet's thick atmosphere and map its gargantuan magnetic field.

Scientists are particularly interested in learning how much water Jupiter contains, which is key to determining where in the solar system it formed.

Jupiter's origins, in turn, affected the development and position of the rest of the planets, including Earth and its fortuitous location conducive to the evolution of life. The immense gravity exerted by Jupiter's sheer size — packing two-and-a-half times the mass of all the other planets combined — is thought to have helped shield Earth from bombardment by comets and asteroids.

"We are learning about nature, how Jupiter formed and what that tells us about our history and where we came from," Juno lead scientist Scott Bolton, from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said.

More here: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-...-try-to-orbit-jupiter/7568528?section=science
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