NASA ’s Juno ballistic capsule has suffer a impudent reversal that will change how it carries out its missionary station at Jupiter .
The investigation recruit orbit around Jupiter in July 2016 , positioned in a wholesale 53 - twenty-four hour period orbit . The plan had been to use its locomotive engine to reduce that to 14 days , bear it conduct 37 orbits up to February 2018 .
But it encountered a job with two helium check valves in its main locomotive , which were found to benot working properlyin October 2016 . As a result , NASA has determine to keep Juno in its current 53 - mean solar day orbit , entail it will fill out just 12 arena through to an extended menstruation of July 2018 .
“ During a thorough review , we face at multiple scenarios that would place Juno in a shorter - period of time orbit , but there was concern that another chief locomotive engine burn could result in a less - than - desirable orbit , ” say Rick Nybakken , Juno project manager at NASA ’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL ) in Pasadena , California , in astatement . “ The bottom personal credit line is a burn represent a risk to completion of Juno ’s science target . ”
This stunning image of Jupiter ’s south pole was snapped by Juno on February 2 , 2017 . NASA / JPL - Caltech / SwRI / MSSS / John Landino
However , NASA is adamant that the change will not bear upon the scientific return of the delegation . Despite have few airless flybys to learn Jupiter , Juno will now be capable to study Jupiter ’s magnetosphere in greater detail .
Juno will also spend less time in Jupiter ’s strong radiation bash . This intend there is a possibility the mission could be extended beyond July 2018 , with the spacecraft expected to cheapen less . The end of the mission will remain the same , though , with Juno introduce the atmosphere of Jupiter and burning up .
In its now semi - lasting orbit , Juno comes as airless as 4,100 km ( 2,600 miles ) to Jupiter and travels as far as 3 million kilometers ( 2 million miles ) away . Itslast flybywas on February 2 , and its next will be on March 27 .
you’re able to get imply with the mission , too , by voting on what the spacecraft bust with its JunoCam cat’s-paw .
