JUNO:
A NASA New Frontiers
Concealed
beneath a dense cover of clouds, Jupiter, the archtypical
"Giant Planet," safeguards key secrets to the fundamental processes
underlying the early formation of our solar system. The launch of the Juno mission
in August, 2011 begins a five-year journey back to Jupiter, to investigate the
remaining unanswered questions beneath the surface of the mysterious gas giant.
In 2016, the innovative, solar-powered, spinning spacecraft will reach its
destination and enter into a highly ellipitical polar
orbit that avoids Jupiter’s regions of high radiation. Peering deep into the
dense atmosphere, Juno's eight instruments will map the Jovian
gravity field and magnetosphere to reveal the true nature of its structure and
composition. The hidden secrets of Jupiter revealed by the Juno mission will
unlock the remaining mysteries of our solar system's origin and early
evolution.
Professor Thorne is a Co-I on the mission, chair of the JUNO Radiation Working
Group, and a member of the JUNO Magnetospheric
Working Group.
http://science.hq.nasa.gov/missions/solar_system/juno.html