Download Juno, a NASA spacecraft, gets to giant Jupiter after five years

Juno, a NASA spacecraft, gets to giant
Jupiter after five years
By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.08.16
Word Count 596
NASA's Juno spacecraft closing in on Jupiter. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
PASADENA, Calif. — A NASA spacecraft reached Jupiter on Monday after a five-year
journey.
The spacecraft is named Juno. On Monday, it sent a message that it was circling Jupiter's
poles. Ground controllers at NASA and Lockheed Martin applauded the news.
As Juno approached the planet, it fired its rocket engine to slow itself down. Then it gently
moved into orbit.
"Juno, welcome to Jupiter," Jennifer Delavan said. She works for Lockheed Martin, which
built Juno.
The spacecraft's camera and other instruments were turned off for arrival. There won't be
any pictures showing the moment it got there. Hours before, NASA released pictures taken
last week as Juno approached Jupiter. They showed Jupiter glowing yellow in the
distance, circled by its four inner moons.
Scientists have promised close-up views of the planet. These will be available once Juno
enters the cloud tops during the 20-month, $1.1 billion mission.
Billowy Clouds, Colorful Stripes
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest one in the solar system. It is a giant
ball of hydrogen and helium, which are both gasses. Jupiter is known as a gas giant,
unlike rocky Earth and Mars.
With its billowy clouds and colorful stripes, Jupiter is an extreme world. It likely formed first,
shortly after the sun. Scientists hope to learn more about its history. It may help them
understand how Earth and the rest of the solar system developed.
Juno is named after Jupiter's wife in Roman mythology. It is only the second time a
spacecraft will spend time at Jupiter.
Another spacecraft named Galileo was launched in 1989 and circled Jupiter for nearly 10
years. It sent back wonderful views of the planet and its many moons. Galileo found signs
of an ocean beneath the icy surface of the moon Europa. Scientists think there is a chance
this ocean may contain life forms.
"Looking Beneath That Surface"
Jupiter's atmosphere is very cloudy. Juno's mission is to look through these clouds and
map the inside of the planet. Scientists hope Juno will answer many questions about the
planet. Two of the big questions concern how much water exists on Jupiter and whether
the planet has a solid core.
"What Juno's about is looking beneath that surface," Scott Bolton said. He is the lead
scientist on the Juno project. "We've got to go down and look at what's inside, see how it's
built," he said.
There's also the mystery of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The giant storm in the planet's
atmosphere has lasted hundreds of years. However, the Hubble Space Telescope showed
that the monster storm is shrinking.
The journey to Jupiter took nearly five years and 1.8 billion miles. Juno flew through the
inner solar system. Then it swung past Earth and through the asteroid belt between Mars
and Jupiter.
Juno became the first spacecraft to use solar power to fly that far out. Three huge solar
wings stick out from Juno like blades from a windmill. They generate enough power to run
its nine instruments.
When The Real Work Begins
In the coming days, Juno will turn its instruments back on. The real work won't begin until
late August. Juno will swoop within 3,000 miles of Jupiter's clouds. It will come closer to
the planet than any other mission has. Its goal is to map the planet's gravity and other
features to learn what is underneath the clouds.
Juno will be destroyed in 2018. The spacecraft will dive into Jupiter's atmosphere and
break apart. This is necessary to prevent the spacecraft from crashing into one of the
planet's moons.
Quiz
1
2
3
According to the article, what is the relationship between Jupiter's history and Earth?
(A)
Jupiter's history might tell scientists how Earth developed.
(B)
Jupiter has a giant storm that may affect Earth's weather.
(C)
Earth and Jupiter formed at the same time as each other.
(D)
Earth and Jupiter are the only two planets made of rock.
According to the article, how did Juno get to Jupiter?
(A)
It was dropped off there by a larger spacecraft.
(B)
It flew at the speed of light to reach Jupiter quickly.
(C)
It traveled past Earth and through an asteroid belt.
(D)
It used Jupiter's gasses to enter its orbit slowly.
Read the sentence from the section "Looking Beneath That Surface."
They generate enough power to run its nine instruments.
Which word could replace "run" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence?
4
(A)
rush
(B)
power
(C)
control
(D)
race
Read the paragraph from the section "Looking Beneath That Surface."
Jupiter's atmosphere is very cloudy. Juno's mission is to look through
these clouds and map the inside of the planet. Scientists hope Juno
will answer many questions about the planet. Two of the big questions
concern how much water exists on Jupiter and whether the planet has
a solid core.
What does the author mean by "concern"?
(A)
answer
(B)
bother
(C)
worry
(D)
involve
Answer Key
1
2
3
According to the article, what is the relationship between Jupiter's history and Earth?
(A)
Jupiter's history might tell scientists how Earth developed.
(B)
Jupiter has a giant storm that may affect Earth's weather.
(C)
Earth and Jupiter formed at the same time as each other.
(D)
Earth and Jupiter are the only two planets made of rock.
According to the article, how did Juno get to Jupiter?
(A)
It was dropped off there by a larger spacecraft.
(B)
It flew at the speed of light to reach Jupiter quickly.
(C)
It traveled past Earth and through an asteroid belt.
(D)
It used Jupiter's gasses to enter its orbit slowly.
Read the sentence from the section "Looking Beneath That Surface."
They generate enough power to run its nine instruments.
Which word could replace "run" WITHOUT changing the meaning of the sentence?
4
(A)
rush
(B)
power
(C)
control
(D)
race
Read the paragraph from the section "Looking Beneath That Surface."
Jupiter's atmosphere is very cloudy. Juno's mission is to look through
these clouds and map the inside of the planet. Scientists hope Juno
will answer many questions about the planet. Two of the big questions
concern how much water exists on Jupiter and whether the planet has
a solid core.
What does the author mean by "concern"?
(A)
answer
(B)
bother
(C)
worry
(D)
involve