Today is Jupiter Orbit Insertion (JOI) minus 180 days. 53.5 days after JOI, Juno will make its next close pass to Jupiter, and that's when we expect to get the first good images from Junocam, although there may be some imaging during approach and earlier on the first orbit.

An excerpt of this paper with the adjusted perijove times:
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Coincidentally I took the attached photo at work the same day this topic was created. JOI used to seem so far off, but now it is just around the corner. Lots of test runs to review plus lots of planning work to go. July 4th will be a very long but fun night!

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Even if Juno doesn't take many images during approach, the other instruments will be active to detect entry into the magnetosphere, correct? Any idea when that would happened (I know the magnetic field is gigantic, but not sure exactly how large).

Using some rough math, I would say late March on into April there should be some detection of the magnetosphere.

Juno does plan to take some images during approach. They have to turn off all the science instruments 5 days before JOI.

Certainly, but at a range of 5.2e6 km on JOI-5d, Jupiter is about 40 pixels across, so they won't be great images. [Junocam, maybe JIRAM does better.]

Handy formula: Junocam Jupiter size in pixels ~ 210/d, d in millions of km

Click to view attachment

Juno just set a new record for solar power distance, beating out Rosetta's hibernation phase. Very impressive!
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4818

Juno performed TCM11 yesterday. All went as planned. Juno is now aimed at the Jupiter insertion point!

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Burns for Jupiter

BTW, I ran across this technical description of JIRAM -- http://www.ifsi-roma.inaf.it/jiram/downloa...Tech%20note.pdf -- that has some detail about how the instrument works. Its IFOV is about 2.8 times finer than Junocam's, so at JOI-5d Jupiter should be about 112 pixels across.

I haven't seen any inflight imaging from JIRAM yet. According to http://www.lpi.usra.edu/opag/jul2013/prese...o_efb_plans.pdf images were supposed to be taken of the Moon during EFB.

A Google tabular site has been created that displays observations planned by the Juno investigations, together with Earth-based supporting observations: https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/planned-observations.

This will be regularly updated by the Juno science team and by the supporting observers.

a few renders from the July 4 close approach



a very EARLY spice orbit add on and not yet using the spacecraft SPICE rotation yet

Celestia ,then will come the Cosmographia SPICE build add on

Back from the Côte d'Azur in France, I see that the PDF versions of most of the talks of the Europlanet workshop: "Juno Ground-Based Support from Amateurs: Science and Public Impact", are already online.

Most of the sessions have been recorded by video. Providing the recordings online is pending.

(As a personal note: This has been a rare opportunity to find out that people you otherwise know only virtually via web are actually real! It seems, most of the participants shared this experience. Thanks to the orga-nice-rs, who made it possible! )

Nice pics, Looks like you had a great time with like minded people.

You are right, it's always nice to match a face with an online 'personality'

Entering 'Jupiter space' (by the standard of gravitational influence) https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/news.
Crossing the magnetosphere should be soon as well, I'm assuming? If the instruments are on they should detect the transition.

The instruments should be on; they are all working on approach, but every instrument will be turned off 5 days before JOI until after orbit insertion.

I have a lengthy "what to expect" blog post about Junocam imaging coming soon -- it's currently under review.

Meanwhile, media coverage schedule is up at JPL: http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-ann...ival-at-jupiter

What to expect from JunoCam at Jupiter

Juno-Closing in on Jupiter Media Briefing-to Discuss July4 Arrival on NASA TV starts at 11 a.m. PDT / 1800 UTC.
Almost sufficient time to listen TPS planetary radio, "JunoCam, The People's Jupiter Camera", before.

Superb in-depth article, thank you so much Emily. Expectations-management of the highest order! Can't wait to see the data trickle in.

Wow, it is getting really close to JOI (10 days, Woohoo). Next Tuesday we get my prop system all ready for JOI by opening valves to repressurize the propellant tanks. We haven't used that hardware since the DSM's in 2012 (but they will open just fine). The steps to JOI effort is summed up pretty well in a recent article. Go Juno!!
Juno right on target for July 4 rendezvous with Jupiter

I'm starting to get more excited as the orbital insertion draws near. Good luck to the Juno team.

In case you missed the June 16, 2016 briefing "Closing in on Jupiter", you can find it on Youtube here:

Closing in on Jupiter

Also, the first color picture from near the Jovian system was released today:



This was taken at a distance of 6.8 million miles (10.9 million kilometers) from Jupiter.

Full resolution here:

Juno on Jupiter's Doorstep

I had not noticed that this JunoCam image was part of the release -- thank you very much for pointing it out!

as of the time of posting
the moons and juno


using the current spice kernels

Here's a livestream of the Eyes simulation if for whatever reason you cannot load it on your device (with peaceful music added):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BdFUT64tf0A

For anyone here that dose not already know
i keep up to date ( mostly) the celestia space sim spice orbits

see the celestialmatters forum

for the overview and installing the basics
http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewforu...13daa5894566cd5
and after that the juno mission
-- for just the last year !!!
http://forum.celestialmatters.org/viewtopi...?f=18&t=846

then you can run your own live sim

Propulsion system pressurization went perfectly on Tuesday (see the link, my colleagues in the UK who supplied the engine must have good media contacts). JOI sequence goes active on the vehicle today. Go Juno!

Juno’s British-built engine readied for all-important firing at Jupiter

Juno has crossed into Jupiter's magnetosphere:



This is from today's briefing on NASA TV (on now). The briefing will be replayed today at 4:00 PM and 8:00 PM EDT.

NASA TV

Here is the full 54 minute video of the NASA Juno press conference on 30-JUN-2015:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMdcTRE8uR8

things are getting hot

as of now 1am the 4th EST


then 12:00 UT

16:00 UT

20:00 UT

23:59.9 UT( well 00:00.22 )


the best is to come starting on the 5th

12 hours to go...

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A screenshot of the ongoing press conference on NASA TV:
Click to view attachment

Today's press conference on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6uUEYOzipw

At work sitting on console for JOI. Not allowed to state much detail since ops cannot be the source of any original data (it must be released through channels first), but less 6 hours to burn and all things look great. Go Juno! When they show then Lockheed Martin Mission Support Area (MSA) I will be in the Propulsion station 2nd in line from the main camera.

Thanks, Prop. Good luck!!!!

Goldstone antennas listening !

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If anyone still has the butterflies in their stomach, I recommend movement 4 of The Planets, for obvious reasons. Very calming...

Telemetry off (per plan) and vehicle now prepped for JOI. Tones are up and working just fine! Starting first of two precessions off sun.

I'm crossing everything that I physically can.


GO JUNO!!!!!!!

Live coverage has started. We're going IN!

No sound on NASA TV ?

Just got sound.

Now over Jupiter's North Pole.

Wink to the camera next time you're in the field of view, propguy (if you can)!

as of right now


using spice rotation and sc kernels
the only rotation kernel for july is"juno_sc_nom_110807_171016_v01.bc" from 2009

I'm really impressed by the titanium "Electronic Vault":



Coupled with radiation hardened silicon on sapphire components like the RAD750 processor, it's an elegant solution to the radiation problem.

Burn has started.

Movement 5, though awesome, wouldn't have been so calming for Cassini....

20 minutes into the burn, now in an orbit.

Past perijove. We were at warp .0002 at that time. Slow for TV, but fast for us.