Countdown to Jupiter – July 4
This Fourth of July, NASA’s solar-powered Juno spacecraft will arrive at Jupiter after an almost five-year journey.
In the evening of July 4, Juno will perform a suspenseful orbit insertion maneuver, a 35-minute burn of its main engine, to slow the spacecraft by about 1,212 miles per hour (542 meters per second) so it can be captured into the gas giant’s orbit. Once in Jupiter’s orbit, the spacecraft will circle the Jovian world 37 times during 20 months, skimming to within 2,600 miles (4,150 kilometers) above the cloud tops. This is the first time a spacecraft will orbit the poles of Jupiter, providing new answers to ongoing mysteries about the planet’s core, composition and magnetic fields.
NASA TV Events Schedule:
Monday, July 4 – Orbit Insertion Day
- 11 a.m. CDT – Pre-orbit insertion briefing at JPL
- 9:30 p.m. CDT – Orbit insertion and NASA TV commentary begin
Tuesday, July 5
- 12 a.m. CDT – Post-orbit insertion briefing at JPL
JSC, Ellington Field, Sonny Carter Training Facility and White Sands Test Facility employees with hard-wired computer network connections can view the events using the JSC EZTV IP Network TV System on channel 404 (standard definition) or channel 4541 (HD). Please note: EZTV currently requires using Internet Explorer on a Windows PC or Safari on a Mac. Mobile devices, Wi-Fi, VPN or connections from other centers are currently not supported by EZTV. If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at 281-244-6367, option 9; or visit the FAQ site.
Live coverage on orbit insertion day also will be available online via Facebook Live at:
http://www.facebook.com/nasajpl
Follow the mission on social media at:
