Juno Spacecraft Begins Journey to Jupiter

Southwest Research Institute:

August 5, 2011, NASA launched the Juno spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, to answer some fundamental questions about the gas giant and, in turn, about the processes that led to the formation of our solar system. SwRI's Dr. Scott Bolton, the Juno principal investigator, leads an international science team that will investigate the existence of a planetary core of heavy elements, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras.

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