NASA's Juno spacecraft arrives at Jupiter

Science News

Millions of Americans went on vacation this Fourth of July weekend, but nobody had a better trip than NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which safely entered Jupiter’s orbit following a five-year journey that spanned 540 million miles.

On the evening of July 4, scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California monitored Juno during a nerve-wracking engine burn, which — if successful — would allow the spacecraft to slide into the planet’s orbit.

Luckily, Juno reached its destination at exactly 8:53 pm CST, only one second off the time it was predicted to arrive. Shortly after, NASA shared a time-lapse video of Jupiter’s four Galilean moons, captured by the planet’s newest neighbor

Launched on Aug. 5, 2011, Juno was created to teach scientists more about the biggest planet in our solar system.

Jupiter is clouded in mystery (literally) due to dense clouds that cover the planet. The spacecraft will uncover new information about Jupiter’s atmosphere, allowing scientists to better understand how the gas giant formed and evolved.

To learn more about the spacecraft and its mission, click here.


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