NASA spacecraft heads for the most volcanic place in the solar system - CNN

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A NASA spacecraft is gearing up for the archetypal of a bid of adjacent encounters with the astir volcanic spot successful the star system. The Juno spacecraft volition alert by Jupiter’s satellite Io connected Thursday, December 15.

The maneuver volition beryllium 1 of nine flybys of Io made by Juno implicit the adjacent twelvemonth and a half. Two of the encounters volition beryllium from a region of conscionable 930 miles (1,500 kilometers) distant from the moon’s surface.

Juno captured a glowing infrared presumption of Io connected July 5 from 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers) away. The brightest spots successful that representation correspond with the hottest temperatures connected Io, which is location to hundreds of volcanoes — immoderate of which tin nonstop lava fountains dozens of miles high.

Scientists volition usage Juno’s observations of Io to larn much astir that web of volcanoes and however its eruptions interact with Jupiter. The satellite is perpetually tugged by Jupiter’s monolithic gravitational pull.

“The squad is truly excited to person Juno’s extended ngo see the survey of Jupiter’s moons. With each adjacent flyby, we person been capable to get a wealthiness of caller information,” said Scott Bolton, Juno main researcher astatine the Southwest Research Institute successful San Antonio, successful a statement.

“Juno sensors are designed to survey Jupiter, but we’ve been thrilled astatine however good they tin execute treble work by observing Jupiter’s moons.”

The spacecraft precocious captured a caller representation of Jupiter’s northernmost cyclone connected September 29. Jupiter’s ambiance is dominated by hundreds of cyclones, and galore clump astatine the planet’s poles.

The Juno spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016 to uncover details much astir the elephantine satellite and is focused connected performing flybys of Jupiter’s moons during the extended portion of its mission, which began past twelvemonth and is expected to past done the extremity of 2025.

Juno flew by Jupiter’s satellite Ganymede successful 2021, followed by Europa earlier this year. The spacecraft utilized its instruments to look beneath the icy crust of some moons and gathered information astir Europa’s interior, wherever a salty water is thought to exist.

INTERACTIVE: Explore wherever the hunt for beingness is unfolding successful our star system

The crystal ammunition that makes up Europa’s aboveground is betwixt 10 and 15 miles (16 and 24 kilometers) thick, and the water it apt sits atop is estimated to beryllium 40 to 100 miles (64 to 161 kilometers) deep.

The information and images captured by Juno could assistance pass 2 abstracted missions heading to Jupiter’s moons successful the adjacent 2 years: the European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer and NASA’s Europa Clipper mission.

The first, expected to motorboat successful April 2023, volition walk 3 years exploring Jupiter and 3 of its icy moons — Ganymede, Callisto and Europa — successful depth. All 3 moons are thought to person oceans beneath their ice-covered crusts, and scientists privation to research whether Ganymede’s water is perchance habitable.

Europa Clipper volition motorboat successful 2024 to execute a dedicated bid of 50 flybys astir the satellite aft arriving successful 2030. Eventually transitioning from an altitude of 1,700 miles (2,736 kilometers) to conscionable 16 miles (26 kilometers) supra the moon’s surface, Europa Clipper whitethorn beryllium capable to assistance scientists find whether an interior water genuinely exists determination and if the satellite could enactment life.