Official News page 5

REAL LIFE NEWS: HEADING FOR JUPITER

by Hazed

NASA has launched a spacecraft called Juno, which is going to cruise beyond Mars to Jupiter. It lifted off on Friday afternoon, atop an Atlas rocket, and will reach the planet in five years time.

What is remarkable about Juno is that it's solar powered. By the time it reaches its destination, the intensity of the sunlight will be only 1/25th it is on Earth. Usually that means spacecraft would switch over to using the power from a plutonium battery. But not Juno - it's going with solar power all the way, thanks to three wings coated with 18,000 solar cells,which will produce a little over 400 watts when it's in orbit around Jupiter.

That in itself presents challenges, because the panels will have to remain facing towards the sun, and the craft can't go into Jupiter's shadow.

Juno is travelling with sensors that will look down into the giant planet's many layers, checking their composition, temperature, motion and other properties, with the aim of gaining new insights into the colored bands that wrap around the planet. It'll also take a look at the Great Red Spot - a massive storm that rages on the planet constantly.

Juno will also beam back amazing photos - it's only the second spaceship dedicated to studying Jupiter, after Galileo in 1995.

It won't just be carrying cameras, sensors and probes. Juno will also take three specially-made lego figures, representing the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and the astronomer Galileo. You can see pictures of the lego astronauts by clicking the second link below.

Source: http://www.space.com/12534-nasa-juno-mission-jupiter-amazing-views.html
http://www.space.com/12546-lego-figures-jupiter-juno-spacecraft.html

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