The spacecraft Juno, built like an armored tank, try starting Monday orbit for one Earth year, the largest planet in the solar system .. Jupiter
to this end, NASA experts will slow engines Juno down, so that it can be sucked into the orbit of the planet
the slightest mistake could ending the mission of US $ 1100 million which was launched into space on August 5, 2011.
Understanding how Jupiter formed is essential to know how our solar system formed, Earth and foundation life as we know it.
If successful mission, Juno will be the ship has been closer to the giant planet .
As we are optimistic, here are five things you can fascinate this mission.
A leap into the unknown
this relentless ball of gas has been described by NASA experts as “a monster spinning so fast which makes its gravity throw giant rocks, comets, cosmic rays … out. “
in other words,” anything that comes close, can become your weapon, “said Scott Bolton, principal investigator for the Juno mission.
this is the reason why, according to comments of astronomers gathered at the NASA site, what they fear most specialists on this mission is the unknown .
Pero does not mean you should not at least try to approach Jupiter.
This planet holds the secrets of how the elements water, helium, methane and hydrogen are formed.
The strategy of this mission is approaching, take the data and exit.
in search of “problems”
To collect information that scientists look, Juno has to approach an atmosphere full of obstacles.
Far below the Jovian clouds is a layer of hydrogen with such pressure that acts as an electrical conductor .
Scientists believe that the combination of this metallic hydrogen with rapid rotation of Jupiter -a hard on 10 hours- generates a powerful magnetic field that surrounds the planet of electrons, protons and ions traveling at nearly the speed of light.
“We are asking for trouble,” Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno Research Institute said Southwest in San Antonio, Texas, United States. “This is enter the type of neighborhood where you can find problems fairly quickly.”
The end of ship that enters the field of high-energy particles in the form of donut would be a meeting with the radiation environment around the solar system.
100 million X-rays of teeth
During the duration of the mission, Juno will be exposed to the equivalent of more than 100 million X-rays of teeth.
“But we are ready,” he said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA in Pasadena, California. “We designed an orbit around Jupiter that minimizes its exposure to the environment as strong radiation.”
Instead of flying around Ecuador, Juno will be the first probe to orbit from pole to pole.
the times will be closer to the planet will be when passing through the poles, an opportunity to observe the intense auroras on this planet and take measurements of charged particles associated with this phenomenon.
34 four laps to cover integer
the other novelty on the type of orbit that will Juno is to be oval.
This, besides closer to the poles, allow to bring the probe as possible to Jupiter while her away both as to the Callisto moon.
in all, it is expected to ship to do 34 laps covering the entire globe in roughly one Earth year.
Each near the planet flight will last the equivalent of a day on Earth, then away from Jupiter and its radiation.
However, the spacecraft will pass close enough to Earth to feel the full force of its magnetic field, which is estimated 10 to 12 Gauss compared to Earth is 0.5 Gauss.
close encounter with a massive magnetosphere
Jupiter is known for its massive magnetosphere, which is nothing but the result of the collision between the planet’s magnetic field and solar supersonic winds.
in studying the magnetosphere, astronomers can better understand how Jupiter’s magnetic field is generated.
We also hope to determine if the planet has a solid core, which will tell us how this giant was formed.
to do this, Juno is equipped with two magnetometers, which will help experts to map its magnetic field much accuracy.
“the best way to think of a magnetometer is in a holding pattern,” said Jack Connerney, second investigator and team leader magnetometers NASA team.
” compasses record the direction of a magnetic field, but the magnetometers have the ability to keep track of both the direction and magnitude of the magnetic field. “
One of the mysteries the team hopes to solve is how Jupiter’s magnetic field is generated.
experts expect to find similarities with Earth.
But for this, we will have to see first Juno survives the giant of the solar system.
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