NASA's Juno Spacecraft To Celebrate Independence Day By Reaching Jupiter

(Photo : Getty Images/NASA)

It's going to be a big day for NASA on July 4 when their Juno spacecraft reaches Jupiter.

"In just a few days, we're about to arrive at Jupiter, and it's hard to believe," said Scott Bolton, the mission's prime investigator, at a NASA news conference, Thursday.

NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to arrive in Jupiter's orbit on the night of July 4. The achievement will coincide with Independence Day, and NASA is looking to do everything in its power to make sure the mission goes right. If Juno flies past Jupiter, the mission will be considered a failure. NASA is looking to put Juno closer to Jupiter than any other spacecraft to research the goings of the planet's dense clouds.

"We have sent spacecraft to the Jovian system before, but they all kept their distance from Jupiter," Steve Levin, a Juno project scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told The Verge. "[Juno's] orbit actually enables a lot. It's a key part of doing the science we want to do."

Juno will orbit Jupiter's north pole for the next 20 months. Its instruments will measure radio waves from the planet's charged particles. "Just the sound of it can tell you it's nontrivial to go into Jupiter," Dr. Bolton said, referring to a recording of the planet released by NASA.

Juno's instruments will also get a deep look at Jupiter's interior. According to Leigh Fletcher of the University of Leicester in England, scientists will use Juno's instruments to "fill in the blanks to get the big picture story.

"We'll have the best observational data set of Jupiter that we've ever had."

Juno's orbit around the planet's pole will allow it to avoid getting burned by the planet's harsh radiation environment.

NASA will receive confirmation of Juno's arrival at Jupiter when its engine begins burning at 11:18 P.M. Eastern Time on July 4.