NASA probe to peer through Jupiter's clouds

5 years! I might be dead by then, cant they build a time machine and bring the results back now?!?! Such a factitious comment doesn't really deserve a sensible reply, but I'm going to give it one anyway. NASA could launch Juno on a faster trajectory, for instance the Pioneer 10 & 11 probes and Voyagers 1 & 2 took only around 2 years to reach Jupiter. However they were fly-by missions, they did not have to fire up their engines to slow down and enter Jupiter's orbit. Juno does. The faster the spacecraft is travelling when it reaches Jupiter the more velocity it needs to scrub when it ar... [More]

Great reply Waspy!

I agree the probe should get their faster all this slow boat to China is frustrating.

Planetary scientists are very patient people, they have to be. Too bad Carl Sagan isn't with us anymore, this would have been the dream of his lifetime. Didn't Galileo drop a probe in there just a while back? What discoveries resulted?

While I'm sure NASA has it's head in the game, I'm not sure about the reporters bring us the info. The instrumentation package will no doubt include some form of radio telescope. I'm sure the instruments will use frequencies from 0.6GHz up through the lower x-ray bands and yet the report says the solar collectors will have 25 times less sun light to work with. Doesn't mention frequency shifts due to occlusions and multipath requiring a shifted frequency range to maximize effiency. Maybe light really is majic and I just don't get it. As far as I know, gravitation is a fundamental force, light i... [More]

I think this probe mission is absolutely facinating. I can't wait to see the pictures and find out what the scientists discover.

Been waiting for them to do this! Yay!

And only 5 years til Christmas!!!!! It'll be all new to me then because I will have forgotten they did it.

Of course Jupiter has a solid surface. Remember those asteriods that hit the surface years ago!

How will NASA fund the ongoing background support work with all the funding cuts heading there way? Wonder if they will sell the project on to China?