For those interested, the NASA spacecraft Juno, that was launched 5 years
ago, is scheduled to go into orbit around Jupiter, the most massive planet
in our solar system, at 11:18 p.m. EDT on July 4. Before that happens the
spacecraft must first turn itself around facing back the way it came to
position itself to fire its main engine for a 35 minute burn. That is the
nail biting time for the scientists at NASA. The craft is so far away from
Earth all of this has to be done by the computer on board the craft. If the
burn does not take place, the mission is lost. This burn will slow the craft
enough to allow Jupiter's gravity to grab it and the craft will go into
orbit around the giant planet. The craft will then begin its study of the
planet until February of 2018. There are several scientific instruments on
board that will gather important data about how the planet was formed,
whether it has a core, map Jupiter's magnetic field, and measure the amount
of water on the planet etc.
You can see the countdown clock and learn about the mission at
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html ;
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt
