Spacecraft Juno Successfully Enters Jupiter's Orbit
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- NASA nailed it! The spacecraft Juno had one shot at entering Jupiter's orbit Monday night and they did it.
Mary Bubala reports the history-making mission means Juno began orbiting the largest planet in our solar system on the Fourth of July.
NASA scientists cheered and gave each other high fives as they declared Mission Juno accomplished.
"We prepared a contingency communications procedure and guess what? We don't need that anymore," said Juno Project Manager Rick Nybakken.
The spinning, solar-powered spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter's orbit shortly before midnight after completing a 35 minute engine burn. The high-stakes maneuver allowed Juno, roughly the size of a basketball court, to slow itself down significantly and hit a target just a few miles wide.
"A mission of this complexity---to accomplish tonight---is just truly amazing," said acting NASA associate administrator Geoffrey Yoder.
"To actually have it, to know we can actually go to bed tonight without worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow is pretty awesome," said Juno Program Executive Diane Brown.
NASA designed the spacecraft to withstand the intense radiation belts and a ring of debris surrounding the planet.
As Juno's journey unfolded, it already began capturing images of Jupiter and its moons. Over the next 20 months, scientists hope to learn more about the planet's composition and uncover new clues about how our solar system began.
Juno has several science instruments on board along with a color camera and three Lego figurines. One is a likeness of Galileo; the other two represent the Roman god Jupiter and his wife, Juno.
