J
U
N
O
Unlocking
Jupiter’s
secrets
By Lloyd Campbell
A spacecraft named Juno hopes
to unlock more secrets about the
largest planet in our solar system,
Jupiter, by studying the planet from
its core all the way out to its large
magnetic field. The mission’s objective is to help us better understand
the origins of our solar system by
studying how Jupiter formed.
Jupiter is comprised of mostly helium and hydrogen, similar to the Sun,
so it is believed that it formed early
in the creation of our solar system.
It is believed that beneath the
dense clouds of Jupiter are clues
that will give insights into how Jupiter
and our solar system formed. Juno
will be able to peer under those
dense clouds that shroud Jupiter
using its scientific instruments. How
much water and ammonia does the
planet have? Is there Oxygen present? Is there a solid core at the center of Jupiter, and if so, how large is
it? Juno will examine Jupiter’s magnetic field to determine how large
it is, how it is generated, and how it
affects the planet’s auroras.
Under the massive clouds tops the
hydrogen gas that is a great part of
Jupiter’s atmosphere is squeezed
under immense pressure until it actually liquefies into metallic hydrogen. The theory is that this metallic
hydrogen is the source of Jupiter’s
magnetic field and Juno will help
determine if the theory is correct.
We should also get a good look
at the planet’s poles, up close, for
the first time.
In addition to understanding our
own solar system better, it is also
hoped that a better knowledge
of Jupiter will help us better understand distant planetary systems that
are being discovered around distant stars.
The name Juno actually comes
from Greek mythology. Jupiter was
not the most faithful husband to his
wife Juno, and thought that by surrounding himself with a veil of clouds
he could hide from her. However
Juno had the ability to peer through
those clouds and see him. Much like
the mythical Juno, the spacecraft
will peer beyond those cloud tops to
unlock the secrets Jupiter has been
hiding from us.
Juno is not a very large spacecraft at all. The main body only
measures 11.5 feet high by 11.5 feet
in diameter. However when the
three 29.5 foot long solar panels are
extended, the span of the spacecraft is more than 66 feet. Juno
weighs in at just 3,513 pounds but
carries onboard an additional 2,821
pounds of fuel and 1,658 pounds of
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