NASA's Juno spacecraft arrived at Jupiter after an almost 5-year journey! On board were three passengers: LEGO minifigs of (L to R) Galileo (first documented Jupiter, the planet), Juno (the goddess), and Jupiter (the god). Coverage of this momentous event is at http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv
Watched it! Bunch of happy engineers/scientists, definitely sensed some trepidation. Next step unfolding solar array?
ReplyDeleteAl Middleton actually the array has been out since the beginning of the journey, I believe. Juno is powered entirely by solar panels (with batteries). I believe the next step was to face the sun after insertion and bring all science systems online!
ReplyDeleteDid you all see the little video of the moons orbiting Jupiter during the approach? I can't find it anywhere now.
Point https://plus.google.com/113507009175485747967/posts/HZyEKCEtw8G
ReplyDeleteUmm... wasn't Jupiter the planet known to the ancients, and Galileo discovered the moons?
ReplyDeleteValdis Klētnieks Per Wikipedia: "While it's inaccurate to state that Galileo discovered Jupiter, Galileo was the first astronomer to detail extensive observations about the planet. He was also the first astronomer to discover the four largest moons that orbit the planet."
ReplyDeleteSo, yeah...kinda
Depending how much one trusts Wikipedia 😉
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