JUNO - Atlas V 551 - Canaveral SLC-41 - 05.08.2011

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Tiny volcanic moon controls Jupiter's auroras
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21428-tiny-volcanic-moon-controls-jupiters-auroras.html

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Two New Moons Found Orbiting Jupiter
Tiny satellites add to planet's "backward" swarm, astronomers say.

Two new moons have been found orbiting Jupiter, bringing the Jovian family count up to 66 natural satellites, astronomers revealed this week.

Currently known as S/2011 J1 and S/2011 J2, the new moons were first identified in images acquired with the Magellan-Baade Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile on September 27, 2011.

The objects are among the smallest moons yet discovered in the solar system, each measuring only about a kilometer (0.62 mile) wide.

(Related: "New Moon Discovered Orbiting Pluto.")

Unlike Jupiter's four large Galilean moons, which are visible from Earth with even small backyard telescopes, both new moons are dim and very distant from the planet, taking about 580 and 726 days to complete their orbits.

Scientists had previously discovered new Jovian satellites in 2010, and astronomers think there may be more—lots more.

"The satellites are part of the outer retrograde swarm of objects around Jupiter," said Scott Sheppard, of the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institute for Science in Washington, D.C., who reported the discovery.

Retrograde satellites are moons that orbit "backward"—in the opposite direction of a planet's axial rotation. Including the two new moons, the Jupiter swarm features 52 known retrograde satellites, which are all relatively tiny.

"It is likely there are about a hundred satellites of this size" in the swarm, Sheppard said.

(Also see "Earth Had Two Moons, New Model Suggests.")

New Moons Are Likely Captured Bodies

Like most of Jupiter's other retrograde satellites, S/2011 J1 and J2 are also classified as irregular moons, because they orbit far from the planet and have highly eccentric and inclined orbits.

Due to their odd orbits, the moons are likely asteroid or comet pieces that were long ago captured by Jupiter's gravity rather than developing in place during the formation of the planet itself.

(Related: "Jupiter Turned Comet Into Moon for 12 Years.")

"Because these outer irregular satellites were captured during the solar system's early years, they can give us insight into the planet's formation and evolution process," Sheppard added.

As far as more imaginative names are concerned, that will require more time and more data.

By established convention, satellites in the Jovian system are named for lovers and descendants of the Roman god Jupiter or his Greek counterpart, Zeus.

But "satellites in general are not given Roman or Greek mythological names until they have at least one year of observations," Sheppard said.

The new Jupiter moons were announced this week in the International Astronomical Union's Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/02/120202-new-moons-jupiter-satellites-swarm-space-science/

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Объявлено об открытии двух новых спутников Юпитера

На орбите Юпитера обнаружены две новые луны. Его семейство выросло до 66 естественных спутников.

S/2011 J1 и S/2011 J2 открыты благодаря изображениям, полученным 27 сентября 2011 года телескопом Магеллана — Бааде чилийской обсерватории Лас-Кампаньяс. Это одни из самых маленьких лун Солнечной системы: диаметр каждой не превышает километра.



В отличие от четырёх крупных галилеевых спутников Юпитера, которые видны с Земли даже в небольшие телескопы, новые луны разглядеть сложно. К тому же они довольно далеко от планеты: им требуется около 580 и 726 суток соответственно, чтобы сделать полный её облёт.

В последний раз новые юпитерианские спутники отыскивались в 2010 году. По мнению астрономов, их там ещё много. «Это часть внешнего ретроградного роя объектов вокруг Юпитера», — отмечает соавтор открытия Скотт Шеппард из Института Карнеги (США). Эти тела вертятся вокруг планеты в направлении, обратном её осевому вращению. Известно 52 таких спутника, и все они сравнительно малы. Общая численность «роя» оценивается в сто объектов.

Подобно большинству других ретроградных спутников Юпитера, S/2011 J1 и J2 также классифицируются как нерегулярные, потому что они расположены далеко от планеты и имеют весьма эксцентричные и наклонные орбиты. В связи с этим логично предположить, что это фрагменты астероидов или комет, которые были захвачены гравитацией Юпитера в незапамятные времена.

Более удобные названия лунам дадут через некоторое время. По сложившейся традиции, спутники Юпитера получают имена возлюбленных или детей верховного римского бога Юпитера либо его греческого коллеги Зевса.

http://science.compulenta.ru/658973/

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Вряд ли они /и подобные им/ попадут в объективы камер сабжа.

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Ну и фиг с ними

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Прошло уже полгода со дня запуска АМС Juno.

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Полярные сияния Юпитера вызываются извержениями вулканов на его спутнике Ио

Полярное сияние можно наблюдать в тех случаях, когда заряженные частицы сталкиваются с магнитным полем планеты. На Земле это происходит лишь время от времени и из-за того, что Солнце испускает длинный язык плазмы. Юпитер же имеет постоянные кольца полярного сияния, окружающие оба полюса. Учёные давно подозревают, что виной тому — крошечная, но гиперактивная Ио, отрыгивающая около тонны серы каждую секунду. В то же время считается, что изменения в кольцах вызываются колебаниями давления солнечного ветра.

Выяснилось, что Ио тоже управляет этими изменениями.

Бертран Бонфон из Льежского университета (Бельгия) и его коллеги наблюдали Юпитер и Ио с помощью космического телескопа «Хаббл» ежедневно с февраля по июнь 2007 года. За эти пять месяцев группа получила в два раза больше данных, чем за последние 10 лет.

В это время постоянные авроральные кольца Юпитера значительно выросли. Причина этого оставалась неизвестной до мая 2007 года, пока мимо Юпитера не пролетел американский космический корабль «Новые горизонты», направляющийся к Плутону. Зонд передал изображения вулканического шлейфа длиной сотни километров, выходящего из Ио. Плазма, выброшенная этим огромным извержением, должна была «затопить» магнитное поле Юпитера и расширить кольца полярного сияния.

Как подчёркивает Маргарет Кивельсон из Калифорнийского университета в Лос-Анджелесе (США), это не означает, что солнечный ветер не вносит свой вклад в это явление. Вопрос о его роли остаётся открытым в связи с отсутствием продолжительных наблюдений.

Остаются нерешёнными и другие загадки, в числе которых следующая: как заряженные частицы ускоряются вдоль силовых линий магнитного поля Юпитера? Г-н Бонфон надеется получить ответ благодаря космическому кораблю «Юнона», запущенному прошлым августом. Он должен добраться до Юпитера в 2016 году. Лишь тогда учёные впервые смогут проанализировать магнитное взаимодействие на иной планете.

http://science.compulenta.ru/659418/
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn21428-tiny-volcanic-moon-controls-jupiters-auroras.html
http://www.agu.org/pubs/crossref/2012/2011GL050253.shtml

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Господа, не подскажите какие были конкуренты у Juno в рамках программы New Frontiers 2. ?

Если правильно понимаю JIMO был конкурентом
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/content/numbers/244/13.shtml
еще кто то?

Jimo в New Frontiers? Не, бюджета конкурса не хватит

Финалистами были Juno и Moonrise

http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=69004#69004
http://www.novosti-kosmonavtiki.ru/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=69589#69589

Обнаружилась необходимая тема: "NEW FRONTIERS" : выбор сделан

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Mission Status

As of Feb. 15, Juno was approximately 141 million miles (227 million kilometers) from Earth with a one-way signal travel time to Earth of approximately 12.7 minutes. Juno has now traveled 297 million miles (478 million kilometers) since launch and is currently traveling at a velocity of 46,000 miles (74,000 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 71,900 miles (115,700 kilometers) per hour.

The Juno spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

Most recent spacecraft significant events

Now cruising beyond the orbit of Mars, Juno successfully completed a scheduled course correction maneuver on Feb. 1. The spacecraft performed the maneuver using its reaction control system thrusters, producing a change in velocity of 3.9 feet (1.2 meters) per second.

This is the first pre-planned trajectory correction maneuver, or TCM, to be executed by the Juno spacecraft. An earlier maneuver, scheduled for late Aug. 2011, was cancelled due to the excellent performance of Juno's Atlas V launch vehicle.

The next TCMs are two deep space maneuvers scheduled for Aug. & Sept. of this year. These maneuvers are designed to fine tune the trajectory, keeping Juno on course for its Earth flyby gravity assist in Oct. 2013.

Have a question about Juno or Jupiter not covered on this website? Visit the mission website or email Juno's outreach team.

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

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As of Feb. 23, Juno was approximately 151 million miles (243 million kilometers) from Earth with a one-way signal travel time to Earth of approximately 13.5 minutes. Juno has now traveled 305 million miles (491 million kilometers) since launch and is currently traveling at a velocity of 45,200 miles (72,700 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 74,900 miles (120,500 kilometers) per hour.

The Juno spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

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

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Cassini Spies Wave Rattling Jet Stream on Jupiter
03.13.12

New movies of Jupiter are the first to catch an invisible wave shaking up one of the giant planet's jet streams, an interaction that also takes place in Earth's atmosphere and influences the weather. The movies, made from images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft when it flew by Jupiter in 2000, are part of an in-depth study conducted by a team of scientists and amateur astronomers led by Amy Simon-Miller at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and published in the April 2012 issue of Icarus.



Following the path of one of Jupiter's jet streams, a line of V-shaped chevrons travels west to east just above Jupiter's Great Red Spot. Most of the planet is unfolded here in a single, flat map made on December 11 and 12, 2000, when NASA's Cassini spacecraft flew past Jupiter. At the left, the chevrons run into another storm called the South Equatorial Disturbance (SED). Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

"This is the first time anyone has actually seen direct wave motion in one of Jupiter's jet streams," says Simon-Miller, the paper's lead author. "And by comparing this type of interaction in Earth's atmosphere to what happens on a planet as radically different as Jupiter, we can learn a lot about both planets."

Like Earth, Jupiter has several fast-moving jet streams that circle the globe. Earth's strongest and best known jet streams are those near the north and south poles; as these winds blow west to east, they take the scenic route, wandering north and south. What sets these jet streams on their meandering paths -- and sometimes makes them blast Florida and other warm places with frigid air -- are their encounters with slow-moving waves in Earth's atmosphere, called Rossby waves.

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New movies of Jupiter are the first to catch an invisible wave shaking up one of the giant planet's jet streams, an interaction that also takes place in Earth's atmosphere and influences the weather.

In contrast, Jupiter's jet streams "have always appeared to be straight and narrow," says co-author John Rogers, who is the Jupiter Section Director of the British Astronomical Association, London, U.K., and one of the amateur astronomers involved in this study.



The jet stream that circles Earth's north pole travels west to east. But when the jet stream interacts with a Rossby wave, as shown here, the winds can wander far north and south, bringing frigid air to normally mild southern states. Credit: NASA/GSFC

Rossby waves were identified on Jupiter about 20 years ago, in the northern hemisphere. Even so, the expected meandering winds could not be traced directly, and no evidence of them had been found in the southern hemisphere, which puzzled planetary scientists.

To get a more complete view, the team analyzed images taken by NASA's Voyager spacecraft, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, and Cassini, as well as a decade's worth of observations made by amateur astronomers and compiled by the JUPOS project.

The movies zoom in on a single jet stream in Jupiter's southern hemisphere. A line of small, dark, V-shaped "chevrons" has formed along one edge of the jet stream and zips along west to east with the wind. Later, the well-ordered line starts to ripple, with each chevron moving up and down (north and south) in turn. And for the first time, it's clear that Jupiter's jet streams, like Earth's, wander off course.

"That's the signature of the Rossby wave," says David Choi, the postdoctoral fellow at NASA Goddard who strung together about a hundred Cassini images to make each time-lapse movie. "The chevrons in the fast-moving jet stream interact with the slower-moving Rossby wave, and that's when we see the chevrons oscillate."

The team's analysis also reveals that the chevrons are tied to a different type of wave in Jupiter's atmosphere, called a gravity inertia wave. Earth also has gravity inertia waves, and under proper conditions, these can be seen in repeating cloud patterns.

"A planet's atmosphere is a lot like the string of an instrument," says co-author Michael D. Allison of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York. "If you pluck the string, it can resonate at different frequencies, which we hear as different notes. In the same way, an atmosphere can resonate with different modes, which is why we find different kinds of waves."

Characterizing these waves should offer important clues to the layering of the deep atmosphere of Jupiter, which has so far been inaccessible to remote sensing, Allison adds.

Crucial to the study was the complementary information that the team was able to retrieve from the detailed spacecraft images and the more complete visual record provided by amateur astronomers. For example, the high resolution of the spacecraft images made it possible to establish the top speed of the jet stream's wind, and then the amateur astronomers involved in the study looked through the ground-based images to find variations in the wind speed.

The team also relied on images that amateur astronomers had been gathering of a large, transient storm called the South Equatorial Disturbance. This visual record dates back to 1999, when members of the community spotted the most recent recurrence of the storm just south of Jupiter's equator. Analysis of these images revealed the dynamics of this storm and its impact on the chevrons. The team now thinks this storm, together with the Great Red Spot, accounts for many of the differences noted between the jet streams and Rossby waves on the two sides of Jupiter's equator.

"We are just starting to investigate the long-term behavior of this alien atmosphere," says co-author Gianluigi Adamoli, an amateur astronomer in Italy. "Understanding the emerging analogies between Earth and Jupiter, as well as the obviously profound differences, helps us learn fundamentally what an atmosphere is and how it can behave."

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20120313.html

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http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/628614main_JunoPosition_030712.jpg

As of March 7, Juno was approximately 172 million miles (277 million kilometers) from Earth with a one-way signal travel time to Earth of approximately 15.4 minutes. Juno has now traveled 321 million miles (517 million kilometers) since launch and is currently traveling at a velocity of 43,500 miles (70,000 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 79,400 miles (127,800 kilometers) per hour.

The Juno spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

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

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Cassini Spies Wave Rattling Jet Stream on Jupiter
03.13.12
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/whycassini/cassini20120313.html

Атмосфера Юпитера стала чуть больше походить на земную

Эми Саймон-Миллер из Центра космических полётов НАСА им. Годдарда (США) и её коллеги скомпоновали снимки Юпитера и получили первый в истории фильм о струйных течениях в атмосфере гиганта.

Сравнение этих процессов с тем, что мы наблюдаем на Земле, позволит многое узнать об обеих планетах.

Самые сильные и наиболее известные струйные течения Земли наблюдаются у полюсов. Они огибают планету с запада на восток большим зигзагом, живописно отклоняясь на север и юг. Встречаясь с так называемыми волнами Россби (более медленными потоками, идущими в обратном направлении — с востока на запад), они могут приносить в традиционно тёплые места — например, во Флориду — холодные воздушные массы.

А на Юпитере струйные течения всегда прямые и узкие. Хотя там присутствуют волны Россби (их обнаружили лет двадцать назад), они почему-то не могут побудить струйные течения приобрести извилистый маршрут. И ещё одна загадка: в южном полушарии Юпитера волн Россби нет. Так было принято считать.

Исследователи проанализировали данные «Вояджера», «Хаббла», «Кассини», а также астрономов-любителей, входящих в проект JUPOS. На одном из получившихся роликов (см. ниже) хорошо показано как раз одно из струйных течений южного полушария Юпитера. Обратите внимание на линию маленьких тёмных V-образных «шевронов», которая сформировалась вдоль одного края течения и мечется то на запад, то на восток. Со временем относительно чёткая линия превращается в волну, и «шевроны» движутся вверх и вниз (то есть на север и юг) — точно так же, как на Земле.

Это и есть признак волн Россби в южном полушарии.

Анализ показал также, что «шевроны» связаны с гравитационно-инерционными волнами. В атмосфере Земли они тоже есть: на них указывают повторяющиеся скопления облаков. Эти волны должны предоставить важные сведения о более низких слоях атмосферы Юпитера, пока недоступных для дистанционного зондирования.

http://science.compulenta.ru/666521/

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Mission Status

As of March 28, Juno was approximately 200 million miles (322 million kilometers) from Earth with a one-way signal travel time to Earth of approximately 17.9 minutes. Juno has now traveled 341 million miles (549 million kilometers) since launch and is currently traveling at a velocity of 41,500 miles (66,800 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 85,600 miles (137,700 kilometers) per hour.

The Juno spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

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

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Mission Status

As of April 18, Juno was approximately 227 million miles (365 million kilometers) from Earth with a one-way signal travel time to Earth of approximately 20.3 minutes. Juno has now traveled 362 million miles (583 million kilometers) since launch and is currently traveling at a velocity of 39,800 miles (64,000 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 90,400 miles (145,500 kilometers) per hour.

The Juno spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

Most recent spacecraft significant events

During the week of April 5-11, the Juno mission operations team completed a demonstration test of the propulsion tank heating sequence that will be used prior to the upcoming main engine firings, scheduled for Aug. 30 and Sept. 4. These engine burns are referred to as Juno's "deep space maneuvers," and they serve to keep the spacecraft on course for its Oct. 2013 gravity assist flyby of Earth. The recent test serves to validate plans for warming the tanks and the propellant they contain to the temperatures required for the deep space maneuvers.

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

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Mission Status



      Juno's position on May 10, 2012 View of Juno's position on May 10 from Eyes on the Solar System. (Click for an expanded view.)

      As of May 10, Juno was approximately 251 million miles (404 million kilometers) from Earth with a one-way signal travel time to Earth of approximately 22.5 minutes. Juno has now traveled 380 million miles (612 million kilometers) since launch and is currently traveling at a velocity of 38,300 miles (61,600 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 94,300 miles (152,000 kilometers) per hour.

      The Juno spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

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

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NASA's Juno Spacecraft Images Big Dipper

NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft tested its JunoCam instrument on one of the icons of the night sky – the Big Dipper. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SWRI/MSSS

In England it is known as the "Plough," in Germany the "Great Cart," and in Malaysia the "Seven Ploughs." Since humanity first turned its eyes skyward, the seven northern hemisphere stars that compose the "Big Dipper" have been a welcome and familiar introduction to the heavens.

"I can recall as a kid making an imaginary line from the two stars that make up the right side of the Big Dipper's bowl and extending it upward to find the North Star," said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. "Now, the Big Dipper is helping me make sure the camera aboard Juno is ready to do its job."

Launched on Aug. 5, 2011, the solar-powered Juno spacecraft is 279 days and 380 million miles (612 million kilometers) into its five-year, 1,905-million-mile (3,065-million-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. Once there, the spacecraft will orbit the planet's poles 33 times and use its nine instruments to image and probe beneath the gas giant's obscuring cloud cover to learn more about Jupiter's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere, and look for a potential solid planetary core.

One of those instruments, JunoCam, is tasked with taking closeups of the gas giant's atmosphere. But, with four-and-a-half years to go before photons of light from Jupiter first fill its CCD (charge-coupled device), and a desire to certify the camera in flight, Juno's mission planners took a page from their childhood and on March 21, aimed their camera at a familiar celestial landmark.

"I don't know if it's the first space-based image of the Big Dipper but, as it was taken when we were well beyond Mars orbit, it's probably from the farthest out," said Bolton. "But much more important than that is the simple fact that JunoCam, like the rest of this mission, works as advertised and is ready for its day in the sun – around Jupiter."

The JunoCam test image of the Big Dipper, is available at: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA15653

Juno's name comes from Greek and Roman mythology. The god Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief, and his wife, the goddess Juno, was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. JunoCam was developed and is operated by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

More information about Juno is online at http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu .

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/news/juno20120510.html

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JUNOCAM IMAGES THE STARS
http://www.msss.com/news/index.php?id=48

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Интересные компоненты ракетного топлива...

As of June 20, Juno was approximately 287 million miles (462 million kilometers) from Earth, with a one-way radio signal travel time of approximately 25.7 minutes. The spacecraft has traveled 419 million miles (674 million kilometers) since launch, which represents approximately 22 percent of the total distance Juno will cover between launch and arrival at Jupiter. That distance is 20.49 astronomical units (1.9 billion miles, or 3.1 billion kilometers), or nearly five times greater than the separation between the orbits of Earth and Jupiter.

Juno is currently traveling at a velocity of 36,100 miles (58,100 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 99,100 miles (159,400 kilometers) per hour. The spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.

Most recent spacecraft significant events

On June 20, flight controllers commanded the spacecraft to test opening and closing the external cover that protects its main engine, and to fill the propellant lines that supply the engine with liquid oxygen and hydrazine, in preparation for its upcoming deep space maneuvers, slated for Aug. 30 and Sept. 4.

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

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As of Aug. 22, Juno was approximately 304 million miles (489 million kilometers) from Earth, with a one-way radio signal travel time of approximately 27.2 minutes. The spacecraft has now traveled 472 million miles (760 million kilometers) since launch.

Juno is currently traveling at a velocity of 34,700 miles (55,800 kilometers) per hour relative to the sun. Velocity relative to Earth is 100,300 miles (161,400 kilometers) per hour. The spacecraft is in excellent health and is operating nominally. Four instruments are turned on and are collecting data: the Magnetometer experiment, JEDI, MWR and Waves.

Most recent spacecraft significant events

Juno is now one week away from the start of its scheduled deep space maneuvers (or DSMs), on Aug. 30 and Sept. 4, during which the spacecraft will fire its main engine twice. The maneuvers refine the spacecraft's trajectory and set up the Earth flyby gravity assist maneuver in Oct. of next year.

In the past week the Juno mission operations team continued preparing the spacecraft for the DSMs, including pre-heating the helium tanks (which pressurize the propulsion system), pressurizing the fuel tanks, and uplinking the command sequence that will run during the period in which the maneuvers take place.

On Aug. 23 the operations team remotely commanded Juno to open the cover that protects its main engine. The spacecraft's battery is now charged to 100 percent in preparation for next week's engine burns.

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