Lunar Update: JUNO -- Unlocking Jupiter's Mysteries

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/overview/index.html

Geoff said --- (as it turns out, to see a lot of images for the steps to assemble the mission equipment to go to Jupiter come August 5, 2011 - LRK -)

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Click on the First stage goes up link and follow the assembly! – next stop Jupiter...

Rocket assembly photo galleries:
First stage goes up | First solid booster added
Fifth booster installed | Centaur stage hoisted
Juno encapsulated in nose cone
Spacecraft mounted atop the rocket

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I hope everything goes as planned.

- LRK -

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/index.html

FRR Completed, Aug. 5 Launch for Juno Set

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 07:52:40 AM PDT

The Flight Readiness Review was completed this morning ahead of next week's launch of the Juno mission to Jupiter. The session went smoothly, ending with officials formally setting Aug. 5 as the liftoff date for the spacecraft on an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA's Launch Services Program is overseeing the launch, while the mission is managed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Mission Info

Key things to know about Juno

Spacecraft scheduled to launch between Aug. 5 and Aug. 26, 2011
Five-year cruise to Jupiter, arriving July 2016
Spacecraft will orbit Jupiter for about one year (33 orbits)
Mission ends with de-orbit into Jupiter

Juno will improve our understanding of our solar system’s beginnings by revealing the origin and evolution of Jupiter.

Specifically, Juno will…

Determine how much water is in Jupiter’s atmosphere, which helps determine which planet formation theory is correct (or if new theories are needed)
Look deep into Jupiter’s atmosphere to measure composition, temperature, cloud motions and other properties
Map Jupiter’s magnetic and gravity fields, revealing the planet’s deep structure
Explore and study Jupiter’s magnetosphere near the planet’s poles, especially the auroras – Jupiter’s northern and southern lights – providing new insights about how the planet’s enormous magnetic force field affects its atmosphere.

Have a question about Juno or Jupiter not covered on this website? Submit it to Juno Outreach!

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Now the remaining question left is what sort of NASA will we have come August 2, 2011 and the Debt Limit count down reaches ZERO.

http://www.gobankingrates.com/debt/debt-ceiling-countdown-us-default-august-2/

http://www.cnbc.com/id/43915446

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-does-the-us-debt-ceiling-mean-for-science

- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

- LRK -
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