Many of us have heard of Juno (not pregnant Ellen Paige), but a spacecraft that has broken boundaries. In order to adequately describe this scientific marvel, we need to discuss the original missions to this mysterious planet.
Jupiter has seen many fly-by missions throughout its relationship with earth. We have been puzzled by the neighboring gas giant for many years, but starting in 1973 we got view of this allusive planet. The first look was not a dedicated mission, but the Pioneer program was the first to see Jupiter up close.
After Pioneer 10 and 11 went to Jupiter, we sent Voyager 1 and 2. These sent back information about moons, composition, atmosphere, and weather. Although this was the only information we had, the next mission would show that these values were not as they seemed from Voyager 1 and 2.
The latest mission was Galileo. The mission revealed that some of the information we believed as fact, was actually wrong. For example, there was far less water on Jupiter than was originally thought. This made NASA question everything about the planet.
Juno was sent to Jupiter in 2011. It would actually fly to the planet (the previous missions were only fly-by) and be sent through an orbit of Jupiter. The ship will complete an in-depth study of the atmosphere, electromagnetic field, and gravity environment. This information will finally tell us so much about Jupiter and its origins.
Juno broke records and is now credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest spacecraft ever. It traveled around 165,000 miles an hour! The baseball-court sized spacecraft traveled 1.7 million miles to see this planet and complete 53 minute orbits. Being a gas giant, we have many questions about how it is made and its core.
Each planet plays a huge role in the solar system, from keeping it balanced to helping it form. They are pieces of a puzzle that cannot exist without each other. This makes it so important to finally understand our neighbors, and get a better look at ourselves. This can give us a glimpse into the big bang and more of an understanding of how (or possibly why) we are here. This is a great day for space and for science.
After this glimpse into a neighbor we have always wondered about, two more journeys around this planet have been launched. The information we are learning is extremely significant to understanding out galaxy and the planets that are within it. Even with Juno there are many questions that need to be answered, but we will look to the future for new discoveries and scientific advancements.
