Image of the moon Io, obtained from the Juno spacecraft, and NASA’s next mission

On December 30, 2023, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will make its closest flyby to the volcanic moon Io, which is the closest Galilean satellite to Jupiter.

The results that are expected to be obtained after this big step are intended to allow Juno’s tools to generate a large amount of data.

(We read: Europe regains autonomy in space with Ariane 6 and will launch the Hera mission in 2024).

The probe will reach about 1,500 kilometers from the surface of the most volcanic planet in the solar system. As mentioned above, never before has a spacecraft of this type come so close to the Sun in more than 20 years.

related topics

According to statements by Scott Bolton, Juno principal investigator at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio (Texas), in a statement on the NasaNet magazine portal: “By combining data from this flyby with our previous observations, the Juno science team is studying how Io’s volcanoes vary.”

Furthermore, Bolton added: “We are looking at how often they erupt, how bright and hot they are, how the shape of the lava flow changes, and how the activity correlates with the flow of charged particles in Jupiter’s magnetosphere.”

(We read: NASA will study the ‘God of Chaos’ asteroid which will pass very close to Earth).

Will there be more flyovers?

In fact, on February 3, 2024 there will be a second flyby, Juno will approach within 1,500 kilometers of the surface again.

It is important to note that the spacecraft that carried out this mission was responsible for monitoring Io’s volcanic activity from distances of approximately 11,000 kilometers and up to over 100,000 kilometers away.

With the above the first views of the north and south poles of the Moon were provided.

“The spacecraft also flew closely over the icy moons of Jupiter, Ganymede and Europa,” reads the press release from the previously cited magazine.

“With our pair of close flybys in December and February, Juno will investigate the source of Io’s massive volcanic activity, whether a magma ocean exists beneath its crust, and the importance of Jupiter’s tidal forces that are relentlessly crushing this moon tortured,” Bolton said. .

(You can read: NASA reveals discovery of planet that bears similarities to Earth).

In April 2024, the spacecraft is expected to carry out some occultation experiments that will use the Gravity Science Juno experiment, which is aimed at probing the composition of Jupiter’s upper atmosphere.

The above will provide key information about the shape and internal structure of the planet Jupiter.

Thanks to the three cameras on board Juno, the Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (Jiram), which acquires infrared images, will collect heat signatures emitted by volcanoes and calderas covering the moon’s surface.

“The cumulative effects of all that radiation started showing up in the JunoCam in the last few orbits,” said Ed Hirst, Juno project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

He added: “Images from the latest flyby show a reduction in the camera’s dynamic range and the appearance of ‘streak’ noise. “Our engineering team has been working on solutions to alleviate radiation damage and keep the imager functioning.”

(You can read: Nostradamus’s prediction for 2024 on NASA on Mars: ‘Failure in the light’).

After several months of evaluation and study, the Juno team and researchers were tasked with adjusting the trajectory and planning the future of approximately seven new Io flybys. This is known as an extended mission plan.

After the February 3 flyby event, the spacecraft will fly around Io in alternating orbits and “each orbit will become progressively more distant: the first will be at an altitude of about 16,500 kilometers above Io, and the last will be about 115,000 kilometers,” according to the NASANet magazine statement.

LADY DANIELA ORTIZ GONGORA

LATEST NEWS EDITORIAL

Read more news…

2023-12-28 22:21:46
#Image #moon #obtained #Juno #spacecraft #NASAs #mission