Liftoff! Juno Mission Launched to Jupiter

[laconte]

On August 5, NASA's Juno mission successfully launched on its five-year journey to Jupiter. The Launch of Juno! offers a fun recap of liftoff!

Juno will fly past Earth in October 2013 to get a boost in speed (via a gravity assist). Its long journey will bring it to Jupiter in July 2016.

Related children's activities:
• NASA's Juno mission, Jupiter, and the solar system are explored in Explore! Jupiter's Family Secrets: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/solar_system/
• Build pop-rockets in Explore! Beyond Earth with Rocket Launch: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explo ... unch.shtml

[OMeyer]

This is a pdf file of a power point presentation I made for my library. Feel free to use if you have the need. Page 8 of the file was a video of the launch, since it couldn't be included in that file, Keliann posted a link of the video above.

[laconte]

Here's the link to Odessa Meyer's video of Juno's launch: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/explore/launch/. Enjoy!

[laconte]

Juno continues its journey through the solar system, bound for Jupiter but on course for a flyby of Earth in 2013, to get a gravity assist to boost its speed, saving time, propellant, and money. Two maneuvers, performed in July and September 2012, placed Juno on course for its Earth flyby, which will occur as the spacecraft is completing one elliptical orbit around the Sun. The Earth flyby will boost Juno’s velocity by 16,330 miles (26,280 kilometers) per hour, placing the spacecraft on its final flight path for Jupiter. The closest approach to Earth will occur on October 9, 2013, and Juno will arrive at Jupiter on July 4, 2016.

Currently, Juno is about 180 million miles (290 million kilometers) from Earth.

Modified from the Lunar and Planetary Information Bulletin, Issue #131, http://www.lpi.usra.edu/publications/ne ... urrent.pdf.