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Juno spacecraft recovering its memory
after mind-blowing Jupiter flyby, NASA says
Image Credit: NASA
NASA's Juno probe is continuing to recover moon Io. The remaining data from Juno's latest
its memory at Jupiter after a data disruption flyby is expected to be beamed back to Earth
interrupted communications between the the next few days at which point operators can
spacecraft and its operators on Earth assess if it has been affected by the disruption.
following a flyby of the giant planet in Juno left Earth in August 2011, traveling 1.7
December. The Juno spacecraft's latest flyby million miles and entering orbit around the gas
of Jupiter, its 47th close pass of the planet, giant planet 5 years later on July 4, 2016.
was completed on Dec. 14. But as its Becoming the first spacecraft to see through
operators at NASA's Jet Propulsion Jupiter's dense clouds, Juno’s aim was to
Laboratory were receiving science data from answer questions about Jupiter’s composition
the flyby they found they could no longer and origins. Juno takes 53 Earth days to orbit
directly access the spacecraft's memory. The Jupiter, with its primary mission of Juno calling
team successfully rebooted Juno's computer for 35 orbit, during which it collected 3 terabits
and on Dec. 17 they placed the spacecraft of scientific data and some incredible images of
into "safe mode" with only essential systems Jupiter and its moons. Because Jupiter is
operating as a precaution. As of a Dec. 22 thought to be the solar system's oldest world,
NASA update, steps taken by the team to learning more about it could reveal information
recover Juno's science data had been about the formation of the solar system itself.
proceeding positively. Juno's operators are This data changed many of the ideas planetary
now successfully downlinking the flyby data. scientists had about Jupiter’s atmosphere and
interior by revealing an atmospheric weather
"The science data from the solar-powered
spacecraft's most recent flyby of Jupiter and layer stretching far beyond its water clouds as
its moon Io appears to be intact," NASA well as a deep interior with a dilute heavy
wrote in the update. The interruption is cur- element core. The spacecraft’s primary mission
rently believed to have been caused when ended in July and the spacecraft is expected to
Juno flew through the intense radiation of a continue its extended science operations until
portion of Jupiter's magnetosphere. There is at least 2025 according to the Planetary Society
no indication that the radiation spike has The spacecraft was expected to exit safe mode
damaged data from its close approach to this week and will make its next flyby of Jupiter
Jupiter or its flyby of the volcanic Jupiter on Jan. 22, 2023.
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