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NASA Juno Spacecraft to Get Closer Than Ever to Jupiter's Largest Moon

On June 7th, NASA's Juno will be the closest spacecraft to visit the Jupiter's largest satellite, Ganymede, since the Galileo spacecraft made a close approach more than two decades ago. It will pass within 645 miles (1,038 km) of Jupiter's moon surface, and it will make sure to document the satellite's composition, ionosphere, magnetosphere, and ice shell.
On June 7th, NASA's Juno spacecraft will make close flyby to the biggest natural satellite in our solar system 1 photo
Photo: NASA
Bigger than the planet Mercury, Ganymede is the only moon in our solar system that has its own magnetic field. It is made of three layers: a sphere of metallic iron at the center, which generates the magnetic field, a rock layer surrounding the core, and an outer layer made of 497 miles (800 km) of thick ice.

Although its surface is mostly covered in ice, it also contains rocky areas or dirty ice, as researchers call it. What's interesting about an icy moon is that underneath might actually be water, and scientists have already discovered strong evidence of an underground ocean on Ganymede.

Juno will document the flyby using its onboard instruments. About three hours before its flyby, the spacecraft will start collecting data with the help of its Ultraviolet Spectrograph (UVS), Jovian Infrared Auroral Mapper (JIRAM) instruments, and Microwave Radiometer (MWR). The MWR instrument "will provide the first in-depth investigation of how the composition and structure of the ice vary with depth."

According to NASA, the visible-light camera onboard Juno will snap images at a resolution similar to the best pictures taken by Voyager and Galileo spacecraft. However, due to the speed of the flyby, Juno will only be able to take five images in about 25 minutes time.

"On Monday, we are going to race past Ganymede at almost 12 miles per second (19 km per second). Less than 24 hours later, we're performing our 33rd science pass of Jupiter – screaming low over the cloud tops, at about 36 miles per second (58 km per second). It is going to be a wild ride." said Juno Mission Manager Matt Johnson of JPL.

Scientists will compare the new images to prior missions' images, seeking changes in surface features that may have occurred over the decades. NASA's findings will supplement those from the European Space Agency's forthcoming JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) mission, which is scheduled for 2032.

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About the author: Florina Spînu
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Florina taught herself how to drive in a Daewoo Tico (a rebadged Suzuki Alto kei car) but her first "real car" was a VW Golf. When she’s not writing about cars, drones or aircraft, Florina likes to read anything related to space exploration and take pictures in the middle of nature.
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