Juno probe spins up its sonic screwdrivers for Jupiter flyby

NASA is firing up the nine scientific instruments on board the Juno probe orbiting Jupiter ahead of its first data collection mission. The spacecraft successfully went into orbit around the solar system's largest resident on July 4 after a five-year trip and has used some of the instruments already to take pictures as it …

[Magani]

Too Long?

"...You can expect us to release some information about our findings around September 1.""

That's an awful lot of "Are we there yet"s from the back seat.

Looking forward to what's forthcoming!

[Mark 85]

Re: Too Long?

As long as someone doesn't turn left when they should turn right, we'll get incoming goodies. Wrong turn.. and "oops"... will be heard.

[Dave Harvey]

By 1st September is almost instananeous...

Compared to the glacial speed of release from the abominably slow Holger Sierks for Rosetta data!

[Andre Carneiro]

My God, what a time to be alive...

It feels like we are finally starting to move towards "the final frontier". I wish I could live long enough to see what's to come in the next 100 years... :)

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: My God, what a time to be alive...

Absolutely agree with you. However, I'm sure similar sentiments were made during the 60s. We're supposed to have moon bases by now :((

[Steve Knox]

Not Likely

"Most will remain on for the two-year mission, and possibly beyond..."

Since the plan is to crash the probe into Jupiter at the end of the two-year mission, that's a very slight "possibly".

[MrDamage]

Re: Not Likely

That all depends on if the final data packets contains the words "All these world's are your, bar Europa. Attempt no landings."

[NanoMeter]

Interesting times ahead

Steadily new probes are sent into space to reveal more of the solar system, meanwhile the quest for bigger telescopes continues on Earth with the 30 meter telescope and the E-ELT, European-Extremely Large Telescope which will be finished in 4-6 years. These telescopes will be able to do close ups of Jupiter sized planets.

[Destroy All Monsters]

"It's in the pipe, five by five"

Ah, a saying from when Colonial Marines ladies were artfully piloting dropships from orbit into harm's way, not even removing the Ray Bans (having overly confident mariens and some unhinged civvies meant to do "consulting" in the cargo hold).

Those were the times, when America was Great...

[Winkypop]

Inspirational team effort

I dips me lid to the clever men and women of the Juno probe project.

[Anonymous Custard]

Enquiring mind wants to know

"...and a tool for measuring gravity via radio waves"

OK, now I'm wondering quite how that works?

I'm sure the mental image it conjures up of measuring the Doppler shift of a Chris Evans broadcast from a DAB dropped down into the Jovian atmosphere probably isn't quite correct somehow.

[Cranky_Yank]

With the NASA Eyes app installed, one can enjoy the journey at virtual first hand.

[Hubert Thrunge Jr.]

Re: Too long

Are we at the seaside yet Daddy?

I need a wee.....

The cheese and tomato sandwiches will be very soggy by then too....

With my sensible head on, one assumes that the results of the Juno mission may lead to the next probe going in to Jovian atmosphere for a closer look. It'll most likely be a suicide mission as what we already (think) know shows it not to be very hospitable...

[mhenriday]

Indeed, a magnificent achievement,

but yet I can't resist posting this link...

Henri

[Just Another Script Monkey]

Who's nicked then Sun?

Juno in "orbit around the solar system's largest resident"

I thought it was going to Jupiter. Is the Sun not in the solar system any more?

Will NASA be starting setting up an urgent mission to locate our missing star?