A Decade Ago, Today -- Juno Left Earth For Jupiter...

That night, I watched a NASA replay, on a streaming service on the web. . . then, five years later, over July 4 weekend, we all watched orbital insertion, breathlessly.

Now, with five full years of science under her belt, the twisting copper-clad goddess. . . just keeps soaring past the churning surface, with unwasted grace -- and endless energy. Even better, than we ever hoped:

. . .On Aug. 5, 2011, NASA’s Juno spacecraft launched on a five-year interplanetary journey that took it to the giant planet Jupiter. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the Juno mission and its operations. The goal of the spacecraft was to enter orbit around the planet and use its suite of scientific instruments and cameras to observe Jupiter’s atmosphere, gravity and magnetic fields. The understanding of the planet’s properties can reveal clues about its origins and evolution. Juno arrived at Jupiter in July 2016 and entered an elliptical polar orbit around the planet. It continues its observations of the largest planet in our solar system, returning spectacular images of the gas giant, even to this day. . . .

So much Jovian poetry wafts through the warm wet summer air, tonight -- but I will leave you with only one piece -- superimposed on the limb of Jupiter, below:



नमस्ते