Juno spacecraft to attempt polar Jupiter Orbit Insertion 7/4

[Paratus]

According to wiki, thermionic converters can go up to 20% efficiency. But that's probably for newer designs.

RTGs using thermocouples (which most are) range from 3-7%. NASA was working on an advanced stirling engine designs in the 20% range.

 

[NAC4EV]

NASA JPL Live

 

[Ruptga]

PU-238 has a half-life of 87 years. Which means half of it is gone in 87 years. So your required mass doesn't double for each year of the mission.

Paratus to the rescue. I did not explain that well.

 

[Thebobo]

BTW Juno is carrying three 1.5 inch tall Figurines

Three LEGO figurines representing the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and Galileo Galilei are shown
here aboard the Juno spacecraft.

And the reason why

PASADENA, Calif. – NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft will carry the 1.5-inch likeness of Galileo Galilei, the Roman god Jupiter and his wife Juno to Jupiter when the spacecraft launches this Friday, Aug. 5. The inclusion of the three mini-statues, or figurines, is part of a joint outreach and educational program developed as part of the partnership between NASA and the LEGO Group to inspire children to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In Greek and Roman mythology, Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief. From Mount Olympus, Juno was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature. Juno holds a magnifying glass to signify her search for the truth, while her husband holds a lightning bolt. The third LEGO crew member is Galileo Galilei, who made several important discoveries about Jupiter, including the four largest satellites of Jupiter (named the Galilean moons in his honor). Of course, the miniature Galileo has his telescope with him on the journey.

The launch period for Juno opens Aug. 5 and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:34 a.m. PDT (11:34 a.m. EDT) and remains open through 9:43 a.m. PDT (12:43 p.m. EDT). The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016. The mission will investigate the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. Juno's color camera will provide close-up images of Jupiter, including the first detailed glimpse of the planet's poles.

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

More information about Juno is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu . You can follow the mission on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/nasajuno .

 

[Paratus]

Paratus to the rescue. I did not explain that well.

No problem.

Hoping it didn't come across as harsh. I'm one hand typing these.

 

[Linux23]

i'm really excited about this.

 

[Charmonium]

BTW Juno is carrying three 1.5 inch tall Figurines

Three LEGO figurines representing the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and Galileo Galilei are shown
here aboard the Juno spacecraft.

And the reason why

Those look suspiciously like lego figures.

 

[BoomerD]

Those look suspiciously like lego figures.

Maybe that's because...(from the link)

Three LEGO figurines representing the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and Galileo Galilei are shown
here aboard the Juno spacecraft.

 

[Charmonium]

Maybe that's because...(from the link)

Oops.

 

[freeskier93]

RTGs using thermocouples (which most are) range from 3-7%. NASA was working on an advanced stirling engine designs in the 20% range.

As a point of comparison, current triple junction solar cells are hitting between 40% and 50% efficiency.

 

[Brovane]

Only 1.5kg a year? How much does each spacecraft need for a trip that far and beyond?

Depends on your wattage you need. NASA uses now a Multi-Mission-Module RTG that needs 4.8kg of Plutonium to generate about 125w of power at the mission start. If you need more power you would just add more modules.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

Depends on your wattage you need. NASA uses now a Multi-Mission-Module RTG that needs 4.8kg of Plutonium to generate about 125w of power at the mission start. If you need more power you would just add more modules.

Funny I would have guessed 4.8kg of plutonium would produce more power.

 

[Thebobo]

These are pretty cool the Deep space network wich is currently showing all of the dishes at Goldstone trained on Juno. And the NASA eyes app is great for all to explore the solar systems and the current missions throughout it.

Deep Space Network Now

Enter the intricate world of NASA’s Deep Space Network as we provide you an inside look at how our team communicates and tracks multiple spacecraft within the solar system 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

This real-time data is updated every 5 seconds and will allow you to examine how quickly the data is being received, how long a signal takes to and from each spacecraft and the current state of the entire network.

NASA Eyes App for PC, Says MAC Andriod and I phone but I didn't see it.

 

[Charmonium]

Depends on your wattage you need. NASA uses now a Multi-Mission-Module RTG that needs 4.8kg of Plutonium to generate about 125w of power at the mission start. If you need more power you would just add more modules.

I wonder if that's the amount that can burn up safely in the case of an unscheduled re-entry.

 

[Jeff7]

Funny I would have guessed 4.8kg of plutonium would produce more power.

If it was used in a fission reactor, you can get a lot more out of it. This is just slow radioactive decay that produces heat, which then uses thermocouples to convert that to electricity. It's not efficient at all, but it lasts a long time and is far more simplistic than an outright reactor, though having a proper reactor would mean a lot more energy available for some very powerful equipment.

 

[Brovane]

I wonder if that's the amount that can burn up safely in the case of an unscheduled re-entry.

Older RTG's on the Cassini probe and New Horizons had 7.8kg of Plutonium. It is more of what the design is tied to.

 

[SKORPI0]

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html#public

 

[Fanatical Meat]

If it was used in a fission reactor, you can get a lot more out of it. This is just slow radioactive decay that produces heat, which then uses thermocouples to convert that to electricity. It's not efficient at all, but it lasts a long time and is far more simplistic than an outright reactor, though having a proper reactor would mean a lot more energy available for some very powerful equipment.

Thanks!

 

[Charmonium]

Burn starts in 2 minutes - https://www.theguardian.com/science/live/2016/jul/05/nasas-juno-spacecraft-arrives-at-jupiter-live

Live text updates and nasa video via ustream

edit - never mind - 15 minutes

 

[Red Squirrel]

Cool, I just happened to check here in time.

Did she just say "the ass end of the spacecraft"?

 

[Charmonium]

IDK, I have it on mute until they start the burn. Well, the burn has already happened but we'll get the feed in another couple minutes.

 

[rh71]

23:20 A small applause was heard in the control room. And now it’s a 35 minute wait to see how it goes!

 

[Red Squirrel]

I think Lockheed is running Debian.

 

[Red Squirrel]

About to get to perigee soon. (closest point to the planet)

 

[Charmonium]

Juno is now in orbit but burn not finished yet.

Apparently they first go into a 53 day orbit and then in August go to 14 day orbit.