>>>2013 Juno Mission Updates
Juno to finish 2012 quietly as Inner Cruise 2 continues
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November 26, 2012
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The Juno Mission has entered a quiet period as the Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase continues as planned, with Juno inbound again, traveling back to the inner solar system to set the stage for Juno’s Earth Flyby in under one year.
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Following the two successful Deep Space Maneuvers that were performed on August 30 and September 14, adjusting Juno’s trajectory to set up for the trip to the inner solar system and back to Earth for the Flyby, the spacecraft was reconfigured for nominal operations. For the two maneuvers, all instruments of the spacecraft were turned off (except the Advanced Stellar Compass). After the two burns, Juno's instruments were activated once again to complete a new round of instrument health checks as part of nominal cruise operations. All instruments checked out as planned and Juno went back to quiet cruising mode with JEDI, MWR, Waves, and MAG being the only active instruments.
To clean up a very minor inaccuracy that is expected when burning the main engine, Juno performed a Trajectory Correction Maneuver on October 3, 2012 using its monopropellant Reaction Control System to clean up after the DSMs. The burn changed the vehicle’s velocity by about 1.8m/s and the engine firing was right on the money with the burn hitting the required target within a few mm/s. For the rest of this year, no significant spacecraft events are planned with Inner Cruise 2 continuing for 182 more days. As of 21:30 GMT on November 26, 2012 Juno has completed 883.058 Million Kilometers of its 2,830-Million-Kilometer journey to Jupiter (548.707 of 1,760 Million Miles). Juno is currently 376.2 Million Kilometers (233.8 Million Miles) from Earth traveling at a relative velocity of 139,660kph (86,781mph). The current communications delay (One-Way Light Time) is 20 minutes and 55 seconds. Distance to the Sun is currently 2.1734 Astronomical Units (325.1 M Kilometers, 202.0M Miles) and Juno passed Aphelion on September 2. Relative velocity to the Sun is 57,199kph (35,542mph). |
Image: NASA
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Today, November 26, marks day 479 of the Juno Mission and day 419 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition takes place in 182 days.
Current Position
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
Juno - Position, October 18, 2012
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
Juno's second Deep Space Maneuver was a Success |
September 18, 2012 |
Photo: NASA/JPL/Caltech
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Juno' second Deep Space Maneuver that was performed on September 14, 2012 was a success, NASA announced in a statement.
The Juno Spacecraft ignited its Leros 1b main engine as planned at 22:30 UTC on Friday for a 30-minute maneuver. DSM-2 had a slightly higher delta-V (change in velocity) than originally planned due to the delay from its original September 4 target. The maneuver slowed the Spacecraft down by 388 meters per second and the vehicle consumed 376 Kilograms of propellants while using its bi-propellant system to make the burn a success. "It feels like we hit back-to-back home runs here with the near-flawless propulsion system performance seen during both DSM-1 and DSM-2." said Juno Project Manager Rick Nybakken of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "These successes move us closer to being ready for our most critical mission event, the Jupiter Orbit Insertion main engine burn in July 2016. We're not in the playoffs yet, as that will come in 2016 when we arrive at Jupiter, but it does feel fantastic to have hit both of these DSMs out of the park." |
The two DSMs have supplied a combined delta-V of 732 meters per second that was required to adjust Juno's trajectory as it is inbound from the outer Solar System, on its way to cross the Orbit of Mars again in mid-April 2013 before starting to chase Earth, crossing its orbit in July reaching its perihelion at 0.88 Astronomical Units and setting up for the Earth Flyby that occurs on October 9, 2013. This Gravity Assist Flyby will boost Juno's Velocity by 7.3 Kilometers per second enabling it to fly out to Jupiter to insert itself into Jupiter Orbit in 2016.
The Deep Space Network is now closely tracking Juno to compute its precise trajectory in preparation for a potential DSM Clean-Up Maneuver to correct its course. Ahead of the Earth Flyby, Juno will perform a number of course corrections to stick to its exact path for a 560-kilometer Flyby.
The Deep Space Network is now closely tracking Juno to compute its precise trajectory in preparation for a potential DSM Clean-Up Maneuver to correct its course. Ahead of the Earth Flyby, Juno will perform a number of course corrections to stick to its exact path for a 560-kilometer Flyby.
Current Position
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
As of 11:00 GMT on September 18, 2012 Juno has completed 791.232 Million Kilometers of its 2,830-Million-Kilometer journey to Jupiter (491.649 of 1,760 Million Miles). Juno is currently 476.5 Million Kilometers (296.1 Million Miles) from Earth traveling at a relative velocity of 156,306kph (97,124mph). The current communications delay (One-Way Light Time) is 26 minutes and 30 seconds. Distance to the Sun is currently 2.2599 Astronomical Units (333.1M Kilometers, 210.1M Miles) and Juno passed Aphelion on September 2. Relative velocity to the Sun is 53,408kph (33,186mph).
Today, September 18, marks day 410 of the Juno Mission and day 346 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition takes place in 251 days.
Today, September 18, marks day 410 of the Juno Mission and day 346 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition takes place in 251 days.
Juno completes final Deep Space Maneuver |
September 14, 2012 |
Juno has completed its second and final Deep Space Maneuver on Friday, September 14 to adjust its heliocentric orbit and modify it so that the Spacecraft can make a Gravity Assist Flyby of Earth on October 9, 2013 to boost its velocity on the way to Jupiter.
The first Deep Space Maneuver of the Juno Mission was performed on August 30, 2012 and had a duration of 29 minutes and 39 seconds and changed the vehicle's velocity by 344 meters per second consuming 376 Kilograms of fuel. During the burn, a propellant pressure level within the Propulsion System of the spacecraft was higher than expected. This prompted the Juno Mission Team to take a step back and postpone the second DSM that was originally planned for September 4. Teams looked at the data and examined the issue to fully understand the situation before clearing the Juno Spacecraft for the second Main Engine Burn of the flight.
The first Deep Space Maneuver of the Juno Mission was performed on August 30, 2012 and had a duration of 29 minutes and 39 seconds and changed the vehicle's velocity by 344 meters per second consuming 376 Kilograms of fuel. During the burn, a propellant pressure level within the Propulsion System of the spacecraft was higher than expected. This prompted the Juno Mission Team to take a step back and postpone the second DSM that was originally planned for September 4. Teams looked at the data and examined the issue to fully understand the situation before clearing the Juno Spacecraft for the second Main Engine Burn of the flight.
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This delay did not significantly impact the Juno mission and subsequent flight events, however, it came at the cost of additional delta-V that was required for a maneuver performed later than planned. Needing a larger velocity change required a longer burn which needed more fuel than a maneuver taking place at the optimized time. This change to the delta-V budget of the Juno mission is not significant and the spacecraft is carrying sufficient fuel to provide margin in order to respond to dynamic mission events like this. For more on Juno’s Mission Profile, including information about its trajectory and delta-V budget, visit our Mission Profile Overview.
At the time of the second Deep Space Maneuver, Juno had a signal delay of 26 minutes and 38 seconds. Before starting the burn, Juno made a re-orientation maneuver to the appropriate burn attitude to put the main engine in the direction of motion. In addition, the spacecraft performed a spin-up maneuver to 5rpm which is required to provide stabilization during main engine firings. The second Deep Space Maneuver was executed on September 14, 2012 with a TIG - Time of Ignition of 22:30 UTC and a maneuver duration of about half an hour. Initial indications are that the burn was completed successfully, but more detailed data will not be available until the Mission Team has performed required analysis. |
Image: NASA/JPL/Eyes
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"Preliminary telemetry from the spacecraft indicates that the burn was completed as planned. A more complete report on the maneuver should be available early next week, after the Juno mission team has an opportunity to analyze the spacecraft's maneuver performance," NASA said in a statement.
This marked the second of only four times Juno will use its Leros-1b Main Engine during its mission. Leros 1b provides 645 Newtons of thrust and a specific impulse of 318sec. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled for vehicle control. A micrometeoroid and debris shield protects the engine when it is not in use. It is removed several days before a burn and is placed back in position after the maneuvers to protect the engine bell.
Juno uses a bi-propellant Main Propulsion System using Hydrazine as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide as oxidizer, while the Reaction Control System of the vehicle uses Hydrazine monopropellant. Juno is outfitted with a total of 12 reaction control system thrusters. The RCS uses Hydrazine for catalytic propulsion. The thrusters are installed on four engine modules and allow three-axis vehicle control. Three engines, one axial and two lateral, are installed on a single module. Two modules are on the forward deck and one on the aft deck.
The Juno Spacecraft will now be tracked by NASA's Deep Space Network using Delta Differential One-Way Range Determination (DDOR) measurements to precisely determine Juno's new trajectory around the Sun. This data will be used to plan a potential DSM Clean Up Maneuver to correct any minor errors that could have been generated by the two large burns. This burn would utilize the Reaction Control System since it is only a small maneuver. DSM-Clean-Up is tentatively scheduled for DSM-2 +10 days, however, this date is subject to change and depends on operational constraints and mission requirements.
Juno is also getting ready to resume nominal Cruise Operations after post-DSM Reconfigurations are complete and the spacecraft has returned to its normal cruise mode. During the time of the Deep Space Maneuvers, all of Juno's Science Instruments, except the Advanced Stellar Compass that is part of the Magnetometer Payload, were turned off. Some of the instruments will be powered up again for nominal operations as Juno starts to head back to the inner Solar System where the Inner Cruise 3 Mission Phase begins in late-May 2013 to set the stage for the Earth Flyby later in this phase.
This marked the second of only four times Juno will use its Leros-1b Main Engine during its mission. Leros 1b provides 645 Newtons of thrust and a specific impulse of 318sec. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled for vehicle control. A micrometeoroid and debris shield protects the engine when it is not in use. It is removed several days before a burn and is placed back in position after the maneuvers to protect the engine bell.
Juno uses a bi-propellant Main Propulsion System using Hydrazine as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide as oxidizer, while the Reaction Control System of the vehicle uses Hydrazine monopropellant. Juno is outfitted with a total of 12 reaction control system thrusters. The RCS uses Hydrazine for catalytic propulsion. The thrusters are installed on four engine modules and allow three-axis vehicle control. Three engines, one axial and two lateral, are installed on a single module. Two modules are on the forward deck and one on the aft deck.
The Juno Spacecraft will now be tracked by NASA's Deep Space Network using Delta Differential One-Way Range Determination (DDOR) measurements to precisely determine Juno's new trajectory around the Sun. This data will be used to plan a potential DSM Clean Up Maneuver to correct any minor errors that could have been generated by the two large burns. This burn would utilize the Reaction Control System since it is only a small maneuver. DSM-Clean-Up is tentatively scheduled for DSM-2 +10 days, however, this date is subject to change and depends on operational constraints and mission requirements.
Juno is also getting ready to resume nominal Cruise Operations after post-DSM Reconfigurations are complete and the spacecraft has returned to its normal cruise mode. During the time of the Deep Space Maneuvers, all of Juno's Science Instruments, except the Advanced Stellar Compass that is part of the Magnetometer Payload, were turned off. Some of the instruments will be powered up again for nominal operations as Juno starts to head back to the inner Solar System where the Inner Cruise 3 Mission Phase begins in late-May 2013 to set the stage for the Earth Flyby later in this phase.
Second Juno Deep Space Maneuver delayed for Data Reviews
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September 4, 2012
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The second Deep Space Maneuver of the Juno Mission was been delayed by the Mission Team to evaluate a slightly off-nominal spacecraft parameter that was observed during the first of the two Deep Space Maneuvers. DSM-2 has been rescheduled for September 14, 2012.
DSM-1 was performed as expected on August 30, 2012. The Juno Spacecraft executed its Burn Sequence as planned and the Burn was a success. DSM1 had a duration of 29 minutes and 39 seconds and changed the vehicle's velocity by 344 meters per second consuming 376 Kilograms of fuel. During the burn, Juno was able to use Low-Gain Communications only because to turn to the correct burn orientation, the vehicle had to point its High Gain Antenna off-Earth. |
Image: NASA/JPL/Caltech
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While the burn was underway, Juno sent Low Gain Tones and recorded the complete spacecraft telemetry data which was downlinked to NASA’s Deep Space Network when High-Gain Communications were re-established after Juno had completed the de-spin and attitude maneuvers.
“Upon review of mission data following the burn, the team determined that although the first maneuver was completely successful, one of the propellant pressures within the spacecraft's propulsion system was higher than expected,” NASA said in a statement. To examine the issue, the Mission Team has decided to postpone the second engine burn to give engineers the opportunity to find the root cause of that off-nominal parameter within the Propulsion System. The burn was delayed by ten days and is now set for September 14, 2012. This delay will not impact mission operations or the Earth Flyby which remains set for October 9, 2013. However, making the maneuver at a later date comes at the cost of more propellants since the burn has to be adjusted to achieve the proper course correction. In turn, this will have a slight impact on the mission’s delta-V budget, but there was sufficient pre-launch margin to allow the mission team to respond to dynamic events such as this. For more on Juno’s Mission Profile, including information about its trajectory and delta-V budget, visit our Mission Profile Overview.
Juno utilizes a weight-saving and redundant approach to spacecraft propulsion with a bi-propellant main propulsion system and a monopropellant Reaction Control System. The main propulsion system uses Hydrazine as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide as oxidizer. The propellant tanks are spherical in shape, surrounded by multilayer insulation and heaters that are activated several weeks before the burns occur to warm the propellants up to nominal temperatures, also ensuring that the transfer lines and tanks do not freeze in the space environment. Juno is equipped with a single Leros 1b main engine. Leros 1b provides 645 Newtons of thrust and a specific impulse of 318sec. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled for vehicle control. A micrometeoroid and debris shield protects the engine when it is not in use. It is removed several days before a burn and is placed back in position after the maneuvers to protect the engine bell.
“Upon review of mission data following the burn, the team determined that although the first maneuver was completely successful, one of the propellant pressures within the spacecraft's propulsion system was higher than expected,” NASA said in a statement. To examine the issue, the Mission Team has decided to postpone the second engine burn to give engineers the opportunity to find the root cause of that off-nominal parameter within the Propulsion System. The burn was delayed by ten days and is now set for September 14, 2012. This delay will not impact mission operations or the Earth Flyby which remains set for October 9, 2013. However, making the maneuver at a later date comes at the cost of more propellants since the burn has to be adjusted to achieve the proper course correction. In turn, this will have a slight impact on the mission’s delta-V budget, but there was sufficient pre-launch margin to allow the mission team to respond to dynamic events such as this. For more on Juno’s Mission Profile, including information about its trajectory and delta-V budget, visit our Mission Profile Overview.
Juno utilizes a weight-saving and redundant approach to spacecraft propulsion with a bi-propellant main propulsion system and a monopropellant Reaction Control System. The main propulsion system uses Hydrazine as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide as oxidizer. The propellant tanks are spherical in shape, surrounded by multilayer insulation and heaters that are activated several weeks before the burns occur to warm the propellants up to nominal temperatures, also ensuring that the transfer lines and tanks do not freeze in the space environment. Juno is equipped with a single Leros 1b main engine. Leros 1b provides 645 Newtons of thrust and a specific impulse of 318sec. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled for vehicle control. A micrometeoroid and debris shield protects the engine when it is not in use. It is removed several days before a burn and is placed back in position after the maneuvers to protect the engine bell.
Current Position
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
As of 22:30 GMT on September 4, 2012 Juno has completed 774.453 Million Kilometers of its 2,830-Million-Kilometer journey to Jupiter (481.223 of 1,760 Million Miles). Juno is currently 484.8 Million Kilometers (301.3 Million Miles) from Earth traveling at a relative velocity of 157,722kph (98,004mph). The current communications delay (One-Way Light Time) is 26 minutes and 57 seconds. Distance to the Sun is currently 2.2625 Astronomical Units (338.5M Kilometers, 210.3M Miles) and Juno passed Aphelion on September 2. Relative velocity to the Sun is 53,295kph (33,116mph).
Today, September 4, marks day 396 of the Juno Mission and day 332 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition takes place in 265 days.
Today, September 4, marks day 396 of the Juno Mission and day 332 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition takes place in 265 days.
Juno successfully completes first of two Deep Space Maneuvers |
August 30, 2012 |
Image: NASA Eyes on the Solar System
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NASA's Juno Spacecraft has completed the first Deep Space Maneuver of the Maneuver Pair taking place on August 30 and September 4, 2012, to adjust the Spacecraft's heliocentric orbit so that Juno can perform its Earth Gravity Assist Flyby in October 2013 to gain required velocity in order to head out to Jupiter to set the stage for its science mission starting in the second half of the decade.
This Deep Space Maneuver Pair takes place around aphelion which Juno will pass on September 2, 2012 after which it will be inbound again approaching Earth slowly after crossing the Martian Orbit in April 2013. "This first and successful main engine burn is the payoff for a lot of hard work and planning by the operations team," said Juno Project Manager Rick Nybakken of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. |
"We started detailed preparations for this maneuver earlier this year, and over the last five months we've been characterizing and configuring the spacecraft, primarily in the propulsion and thermal systems. Over the last two weeks, we have carried out planned events almost every day, including heating tanks, configuring subsystems, uplinking new sequences, turning off the instruments and increasing the spacecraft's spin rate. There is a lot that goes into a main engine burn."
The August 30 Main Engine Burn, called Deep Space Maneuver 1, got underway at 22:30 Spacecraft UTC. At the time of the maneuver, Juno had a signal delay of 27 minutes and 4 seconds. Before starting the burn, Juno made a re-orientation maneuver to the proper burn attitude to put the main engine in the direction of motion. In addition, the spacecraft made a spin-up maneuver to 5rpm which is required to provide stabilization during main engine firings.
This Deep Space Maneuver marked the first of only four Leros 1b main engine burns that are planned for the 6-year mission.
The August 30 Main Engine Burn, called Deep Space Maneuver 1, got underway at 22:30 Spacecraft UTC. At the time of the maneuver, Juno had a signal delay of 27 minutes and 4 seconds. Before starting the burn, Juno made a re-orientation maneuver to the proper burn attitude to put the main engine in the direction of motion. In addition, the spacecraft made a spin-up maneuver to 5rpm which is required to provide stabilization during main engine firings.
This Deep Space Maneuver marked the first of only four Leros 1b main engine burns that are planned for the 6-year mission.
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Leros 1b provides a thrust of 645 Newton and an Isp (specific impulse) of 318sec. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled. The main engine was manufactured by AMPAC-ISP in Westcott, UK, and uses Hydrazine and Nitrogen Tetroxide as propellants. DSM1 had a duration of 29 minutes and 39 seconds and changed the vehicle's velocity by 344 meters per second consuming 376 Kilograms of fuel. Afterwards, Juno had to de-spin again and re-orient to point its Solar Arrays back at the Sun and its High Gain Antenna back towards Earth to re-initiate High Gain Communications with the Deep Space Network. During the Maneuver, Juno used its toroidal Low Gain Antenna to send low-bandwidth tones which are semaphores that indicate the basic vehicle status and the completion of events.
With this burn successfully checked off the list, Juno is now getting ready to perform the second Deep Space Maneuver. Since there are only a few days in between burns, the instrument payload, except the Advanced Stellar Compass, remains powered down. Also, the engine cover stays open and the heaters remain active to keep the propellants, Helium pressurant tanks and propellant lines at the proper temperature for the next DSM. |
Image: NASA/JPL/Caltech/Eyes
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In between the two DSMs, there is the theoretical possibility of a Trajectory Correction Maneuver in case any major burn errors were achieved, but generally, there are no plans to perform a correction prior to DSM2. Also, the Parameters of this second burn are not changed and the computer commands that were uplinked will not be updated because tracking data available between the two burns will most likely not be of sufficient quality to re-target a burn. Usual Navigation data turn-around for Juno Cruise is seven days.
The DSM has been split into two identical burns during the mission design phase because the Leros 1b Engine was not qualified to complete continuous burns in excess of one hour. Also, a single DSM would have been twice as long as the Jupiter Orbit Insertion Burn, and to limit stress on the propulsion system, the maneuver was split, coming at the cost of some of Juno's dV Budget. To learn more about the Juno Mission Design and all aspects of its trajectory that is called '2+ dV-EGA', visit our new and very detailed Juno Mission Outline.
The second DSM on September 4 is the next crucial milestone of Juno's long journey to Jupiter. "We still have the Earth flyby and another 1.4 billion miles [2.3 billion kilometers] and four years to go to get to Jupiter," said Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute. "The team will be busy during that whole time, collecting science on the way out to Jupiter and getting ready for our prime mission at Jupiter, which is focused on learning the history of how our solar system was formed. "
The DSM has been split into two identical burns during the mission design phase because the Leros 1b Engine was not qualified to complete continuous burns in excess of one hour. Also, a single DSM would have been twice as long as the Jupiter Orbit Insertion Burn, and to limit stress on the propulsion system, the maneuver was split, coming at the cost of some of Juno's dV Budget. To learn more about the Juno Mission Design and all aspects of its trajectory that is called '2+ dV-EGA', visit our new and very detailed Juno Mission Outline.
The second DSM on September 4 is the next crucial milestone of Juno's long journey to Jupiter. "We still have the Earth flyby and another 1.4 billion miles [2.3 billion kilometers] and four years to go to get to Jupiter," said Scott Bolton, Juno's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute. "The team will be busy during that whole time, collecting science on the way out to Jupiter and getting ready for our prime mission at Jupiter, which is focused on learning the history of how our solar system was formed. "
Juno prepares for major Deep Space Maneuvers |
August 26, 2012 |
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After a long year of Cruising, NASA's Juno Spacecraft is preparing for two major engine burns in Deep Space. The two Deep Space Maneuvers of the mission will be performed on August 30 and September 4 and are needed to place Juno on a course back to Earth for its Gravity Assist Flyby to boost its velocity in order to make it to Jupiter in 2016.
Preparations for the maneuvers began late in late June 2012 with the loading of the vehicle's fuel lines. Juno's propellant tank heaters were activated in the week of July 16 to warm up the propellants to their required temperature for use by the spacecraft's main engine during the burns. As the vehicle came closer to the burns, tracking by the Deep Space Network was increased to ensure the gathered trajectory information were accurate and burn parameters were generated with proper navigation data. Delta Differential One-Way Range Determination (DDOR) measurements were made by NASA's Deep Space Network Stations in Canberra, Madrid and Goldstone. For the Deep Space Maneuvers itself, Deep Space Complex 43 (Canberra) and 14 (Goldstone) will provide simultaneous coverage to achieve redundant communications. In August, final preparations began to configure the spacecraft for the maneuvers. The Helium Tanks of the Juno Vehicle were heated up. Helium pressurant is used to keep the propellant tanks at the proper pressure during the burn. |
Image: NASA/JPL/Caltech
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Also, the fuel tanks were pressurized and the command sequence for the period of Deep Space Maneuvers was uplinked to Juno and verified. The protective main engine cover was opened on August 23 and the spacecraft was enabled to charge its batteries to 100% for the DSMs. During cruise operations, the batteries are operated at a lower capacity.
As preparations near completion, Juno is set to perform the first Deep Space Maneuver on Thursday, August 30, 2012. The vehicle begins to maneuver to the proper orientation for the engine burn at about 21:45 UTC using its Reaction Control System Thrusters. Juno is equipped with a monopropellant Attitude Control System consisting of four engine modules each has three Hydrazine Thrusters installed on it. After the 15 to 20-minute maneuver, everything is ready for main engine ignition. Ignition occurs at 22:29 and the Leros 1b engine will come to life. The main propulsion system of Juno uses Hydrazine as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide as oxidizer. Leros 1b provides 645 Newtons of thrust. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled. The main engine was manufactured by AMPAC-ISP in Westcott, UK. Deep Space Maneuver 1 has a duration of just under 30 minutes and it will change the vehicle's velocity by about 350 meters per second. About 15 minutes after the conclusion of the burn, Juno will maneuver back to its nominal attitude to point its solar arrays back at the Sun.
On September 4, the procedure will be repeated for the second of the Deep Space Maneuvers that will set the stage for the Gravity Assist Earth Flyby on October 9, 2013 after which Juno will head out to deep space once again to start its Quiet Cruise to Jupiter.
As preparations near completion, Juno is set to perform the first Deep Space Maneuver on Thursday, August 30, 2012. The vehicle begins to maneuver to the proper orientation for the engine burn at about 21:45 UTC using its Reaction Control System Thrusters. Juno is equipped with a monopropellant Attitude Control System consisting of four engine modules each has three Hydrazine Thrusters installed on it. After the 15 to 20-minute maneuver, everything is ready for main engine ignition. Ignition occurs at 22:29 and the Leros 1b engine will come to life. The main propulsion system of Juno uses Hydrazine as fuel and Nitrogen Tetroxide as oxidizer. Leros 1b provides 645 Newtons of thrust. It is fixed to the vehicle and can not be gimbaled. The main engine was manufactured by AMPAC-ISP in Westcott, UK. Deep Space Maneuver 1 has a duration of just under 30 minutes and it will change the vehicle's velocity by about 350 meters per second. About 15 minutes after the conclusion of the burn, Juno will maneuver back to its nominal attitude to point its solar arrays back at the Sun.
On September 4, the procedure will be repeated for the second of the Deep Space Maneuvers that will set the stage for the Gravity Assist Earth Flyby on October 9, 2013 after which Juno will head out to deep space once again to start its Quiet Cruise to Jupiter.
Current Position
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
As of 23:30 GMT on August 26, 2012 Juno has completed 760.756 Million Kilometers of its 2,830-Million-Kilometer journey to Jupiter (466.497 of 1,760 Million Miles). Juno is currently 488.2 Million Kilometers (303.4 Million Miles) from Earth traveling at a relative velocity of 160,891kph (99,973mph). The current communications delay (One-Way Light Time) is 27 minutes and 8 seconds. Distance to the Sun is currently 2.262 Astronomical Units (338.5M Kilometers, 210.3M Miles) and Juno will reach Apogee on September 2. Relative velocity to the Sun is 55,719kph (34,622mph).
Today, August 26, marks day 387 of the Juno Mission and day 323 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase.
Today, August 26, marks day 387 of the Juno Mission and day 323 of the Inner Cruise 2 Phase.
Juno - Current Position, July 21, 2012
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
Juno acquires Out-Of-This-World Image
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May 11, 2012
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Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SWRI/MSSS
As the Juno Spacecraft continues its Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase, it has sent an Image of the Big Dipper back to Earth that was taken while the vehicle was flying beyond the Orbit of Planet Mars. This photo was acquired to check the JunoCam and certify it during the flight before actually reaching Jupiter and starting mission operations. The test image shows that the camera is working as expected and demonstrates its wide field of view of 58 degrees. "I don't know if it’s the first space-based image of the Big Dipper but, as it was taken when we were well beyond Mars orbit, it's probably from the farthest out," said Scott Bolton, the principal investigator of the Juno Mission. "But much more important than that is the simple fact that JunoCam, like the rest of this mission, works as advertised and is ready for its day in the sun – around Jupiter." Juno Cam will take color pictures of Jupiter’s cloud cover in visible light once the Spacecraft has inserted itself into Orbit around the Gas Giant.
It will provide a wide angle view of Jupiter’s poles and cloud tops. JunoCam is a full-color camera and a part of the Juno Outreach Program. The public will be involved in developing the images from raw data and they will identify areas of Jupiter that should be imaged. JunoCam will take images when the spacecraft is particularly close to the planet providing a maximum resolution of 2 to 4 Kilometers per pixel. It is expected to provide new views of Jupiter’s atmosphere once JunoCam is active. JunoCam was developed by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego.
As of May 10, 2012, the Juno Mission continues as planned with nominal Cruise Operations as the Vehicle will remain cruising beyond the orbit of Mars for several more months before coming back for its Earth Flyby in 2013.
It will provide a wide angle view of Jupiter’s poles and cloud tops. JunoCam is a full-color camera and a part of the Juno Outreach Program. The public will be involved in developing the images from raw data and they will identify areas of Jupiter that should be imaged. JunoCam will take images when the spacecraft is particularly close to the planet providing a maximum resolution of 2 to 4 Kilometers per pixel. It is expected to provide new views of Jupiter’s atmosphere once JunoCam is active. JunoCam was developed by Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego.
As of May 10, 2012, the Juno Mission continues as planned with nominal Cruise Operations as the Vehicle will remain cruising beyond the orbit of Mars for several more months before coming back for its Earth Flyby in 2013.
Juno completes Procedures Verification
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April 24, 2012
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The Juno
Mission is progressing as planned and Spacecraft Operations are on schedule as
the Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase continues.
After all instruments and systems completed checkouts last year and in January, teams have started the next task of checking instrument compatibility. For that, each of Juno’s instruments is activated in turn to determine if its operation causes electromagnetic interference for any of the other instruments. In early April, the Juno Mission Team conducted a demonstration checkout of the Propulsion Tank Heating Sequence. In order to fire Juno’s Main Engine, the tanks and the Propellants inside have to be warmed up to a certain temperature. Testing the heating sequence in advance gives mission controllers a chance to evaluate the procedure and make changes if required. The sequence was completed successfully and necessary data was obtained. The procedure will be needed for the Deep Space Maneuvers that are planned for August 30 and September 4, 2012 and will be needed to keep the Spacecraft on course for the Gravity-Assist Flyby of Earth in October 2013. Mission Control reports that the Juno Spacecraft is in excellent health and operating nominally. Four of Juno’s Instruments are currently activated: the Magnetometer (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.
As of 19:00 GMT on April 24, Juno was at a Mission Elapsed Time of 263 Days and 2.5 Hours. Juno has now completed 587.86 Million Kilometers (365.30 Million Miles) of its long 2,800 Million Kilometer Journey to Jupiter (1,740 Million Miles). The Spacecraft was 373.15 Million Kilometers from Earth (231.87 Million Miles) traveling at a relative velocity of 147,272 Kilometers per Hour (91,511 Miles per Hour). Juno was 17.31 Light-Minutes (311M km, 193M mi) from the Sun moving at a speed of 63,487 Kilometers per Hour (39,449 Miles per Hour). Current Distance to Jupiter is 36.5 Light-Minutes. As of today (April 24, 2012), Juno is 199 Days into the Inner Cruise 2 Phase which is now 33.4% complete (in terms of duration). The next Mission Phase, Inner Cruise 3 is still 398 Days away. Learn more about the Juno Mission Profile here.
After all instruments and systems completed checkouts last year and in January, teams have started the next task of checking instrument compatibility. For that, each of Juno’s instruments is activated in turn to determine if its operation causes electromagnetic interference for any of the other instruments. In early April, the Juno Mission Team conducted a demonstration checkout of the Propulsion Tank Heating Sequence. In order to fire Juno’s Main Engine, the tanks and the Propellants inside have to be warmed up to a certain temperature. Testing the heating sequence in advance gives mission controllers a chance to evaluate the procedure and make changes if required. The sequence was completed successfully and necessary data was obtained. The procedure will be needed for the Deep Space Maneuvers that are planned for August 30 and September 4, 2012 and will be needed to keep the Spacecraft on course for the Gravity-Assist Flyby of Earth in October 2013. Mission Control reports that the Juno Spacecraft is in excellent health and operating nominally. Four of Juno’s Instruments are currently activated: the Magnetometer (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.
As of 19:00 GMT on April 24, Juno was at a Mission Elapsed Time of 263 Days and 2.5 Hours. Juno has now completed 587.86 Million Kilometers (365.30 Million Miles) of its long 2,800 Million Kilometer Journey to Jupiter (1,740 Million Miles). The Spacecraft was 373.15 Million Kilometers from Earth (231.87 Million Miles) traveling at a relative velocity of 147,272 Kilometers per Hour (91,511 Miles per Hour). Juno was 17.31 Light-Minutes (311M km, 193M mi) from the Sun moving at a speed of 63,487 Kilometers per Hour (39,449 Miles per Hour). Current Distance to Jupiter is 36.5 Light-Minutes. As of today (April 24, 2012), Juno is 199 Days into the Inner Cruise 2 Phase which is now 33.4% complete (in terms of duration). The next Mission Phase, Inner Cruise 3 is still 398 Days away. Learn more about the Juno Mission Profile here.
image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
Juno Instrument Checkouts enter next Level
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March 19, 2012
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NASA’s Juno
Spacecraft is continuing its Mission – now cruising beyond the Orbit of Mars,
far away from home. The Vehicle is operating as expected and is in excellent
health. The Mission is progressing on schedule with planned operations
involving the Spacecraft and Teams on the Ground. After all instruments and
systems completed checkouts last year and in January, teams have started the
next task of checking instrument compatibility. For that, each of Juno’s
instruments is activated in turn to determine if its operation causes
electromagnetic interference for any of the other instruments. For the
Magnetometer, all associated tests have already been completed. The other
instruments will be checked over the coming weeks. Four of Juno’s instruments
are currently powered up: Magnetometer (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.
As of 21:30 GMT on Monday, March 19, 2012, Juno had completed 531.5 Million Kilometers of its 2,800-Million-Kilometer Journey through the Solar System. (330.26 Million Miles of 1,740 Million Miles) Relative to its point of reference in the Solar System, the Sun, Juno was travelling 68,513 Kilometers per Hour (42,572 Miles per Hour). The Spacecraft was 252.87 Million Kilometers (157.13 Million Miles) or 14 Light-Minutes from Earth traveling at a relative velocity of 113,914 Kilometers per Hour (70,783 Miles per Hour). The Spacecraft was 640.9 Million Kilometers (385.8 Million Miles) from its target, the Gas Giant Jupiter. Today marks Day 227 of the Juno Mission and Day 163 of the Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition to IC3 will come on May 28, 2013 (in 435 Days). From a Duration-Standpoint, the IC2 Phase is 27.4% complete.
As of 21:30 GMT on Monday, March 19, 2012, Juno had completed 531.5 Million Kilometers of its 2,800-Million-Kilometer Journey through the Solar System. (330.26 Million Miles of 1,740 Million Miles) Relative to its point of reference in the Solar System, the Sun, Juno was travelling 68,513 Kilometers per Hour (42,572 Miles per Hour). The Spacecraft was 252.87 Million Kilometers (157.13 Million Miles) or 14 Light-Minutes from Earth traveling at a relative velocity of 113,914 Kilometers per Hour (70,783 Miles per Hour). The Spacecraft was 640.9 Million Kilometers (385.8 Million Miles) from its target, the Gas Giant Jupiter. Today marks Day 227 of the Juno Mission and Day 163 of the Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase. The next Mission Phase Transition to IC3 will come on May 28, 2013 (in 435 Days). From a Duration-Standpoint, the IC2 Phase is 27.4% complete.
Current Position
Image: NASA - JPL Solar System Simulator
Juno completes first Trajectory Correction Maneuver
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February 2, 2012
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The Juno
Spacecraft has successfully conducted the Mission’s first Trajectory Correction
Maneuver on February 1. This was the first of several planned maneuvers to
occur over the next 5 years as Juno cruises through Space.
The Burn was 25 Minutes in duration and began at 18:10GMT (1:10pm EST). It changed Juno’s velocity by 1.2 Meters per Second (3.9fps) and consumed 3.11 Kilograms (6.9lbs) of fuel. The next engine burn is planned for August 2012 when a Deep Space Maneuver will be conducted to refine Juno’s course as it approaches Earth for a close flyby in 2013. Juno Project Manager Rick Nybakken said, "We had a maneuver planned soon after launch but our Atlas V rocket gave us such a good ride we didn't need to make any trajectory changes. It is good to get another first under our belt. This burn couldn't have gone any better." |
Photo: NASA, JPL, Caltech
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As of 21:45
GMT today, February 2, 2012, Juno was starting its 182nd full day in
space. It marked Day 117 of the 598-day Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase that will
continue throughout 2012. Juno was cruising 195.4 Million Kilometers (121.4 Million
Miles) from Earth moving at a relative speed of 107,353 Kilometers per Hour (66,706mph).
Relative to the Sun, Juno was traveling 77,251kph (48,000mph) cruising at a distance
of 264.3 Million Kilometers (164.3 Million Miles). Of its 2,800-Million-kilometer
Mission (1,740 Million Miles), Juno has completed 451 Million Kilometers (280 Million
Miles). The Vehicle is 579 Million Kilometers (360 Million Miles) from Planet Jupiter.
The Spacecraft continues to operate as expected and is in excellent health. Four of its instruments are active at this time: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.
The Spacecraft continues to operate as expected and is in excellent health. Four of its instruments are active at this time: the Magnetometer experiment (FGM & ASC), JEDI, MWR and Waves.
Juno - Current Position
Image: NASA - JPL - Solar System Simulator
Juno begins 2012 with more Checkouts
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January 10, 2012
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The Juno Mission is starting 2012 with more activity to check and calibrate the vehicle as its in the mission's Inner Cruise 2 Phase. Juno is in excellent health and operating normally. Communications with Earth are stable and the power generating solar cells are looking good as well. On January 3, the spacecraft's medium string solar arrays were turned on for the first time in the mission. Together with the long string cells that were operating since launch, the medium string cells are now providing 1500 Watts of electrical power. During the Inner Cruise Phase, the spacecraft does not use all of its solar cells because it is very close to the sun and gets plenty of sunlight. Later in the Mission, the short string solar cells will be activated as sun exposure decreases. In Orbit around Jupiter, Juno will receive 25 times less sunlight than we do on Earth and will need most of its 19,000 solar cells.
To end 2011, Juno completed another round of vehicle tests. The Gravity Science Instrument was thoroughly checked and calibrated. The System will use Doppler Tracking via its communication system to deduce gravitational properties of Jupiter. X- and Ka-Band Transponder performance was verified during the tests. |
Photo: NASA/JPL/Caltech
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Currently, four spacecraft instruments are active:
the Magnetometer, JEDI, MWR and Waves. The Mission is approaching Day
100 of its 598-day Inner Cruise 2 Mission Phase that will continue
throughout 2012.
