https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-the-stunning-new-images-of-jupiter-from-nasas-juno-spacecraft-180985417/
Quote from: Blackstar on 11/11/2024 02:48 amhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/check-out-the-stunning-new-images-of-jupiter-from-nasas-juno-spacecraft-180985417/All I can say is Wow! Thanks for the link. Our neighborhood in the galaxy has some beautiful places.
At the OPAG meeting yesterday, an update on the Juno mission was presented by the PI. Spacecraft and instruments are healthy. The mission's managers do not need to plan a deorbit maneuver because the orbit will naturally decay and the craft cannot strike one of the major moons.As a result, the team is preparing a proposal for a second extended mission that would extend observations to potentially 2028 if the propellant supply holds out and radiation doesn't kill the craft (the new orbits would take it through high radiation belts).
Quote from: vjkane on 11/22/2024 04:15 pmAt the OPAG meeting yesterday, an update on the Juno mission was presented by the PI. Spacecraft and instruments are healthy. The mission's managers do not need to plan a deorbit maneuver because the orbit will naturally decay and the craft cannot strike one of the major moons.As a result, the team is preparing a proposal for a second extended mission that would extend observations to potentially 2028 if the propellant supply holds out and radiation doesn't kill the craft (the new orbits would take it through high radiation belts).Thank you for the update! Does it mean that the 2nd extended mission will end with the natural decay in 2028 or does the orbit decay later?