The NASA Juno spacecraft successfully completed its 41st close flyby of Jupiter, and its JunoCam instrument captured clouds swirling atop the gas giant. The footage – compiled by citizen scientist Andrea Luck into a short animation – gives us a glimpse of what it would be like to ride along with the spacecraft.
Spanning approximately 87,000 miles (140,000 kilometers) in diameter, Jupiter is the largest known planet in the solar system. When Juno made its closest approach on April 9, the spacecraft was just about 2,050 miles (3,300 kilometers) above Jupiter’s painting-like cloud tops. It was estimated to be traveling at around 131,000 miles per hour (210,000 kilometers per hour) relative to the planet. It also zipped by Ganymede recently, one of Jupiter’s moons.
LEGO Ideas NASA Apollo Saturn V 92176 Outer Space Model Rocket for Kids and Adults, Science Building Kit (1969 Pieces)
- Bring to life the rocket launch that took humans to the moon with the meter-high (approximately 1: 110 scale) model rocket of the NASA Apollo Saturn V
- The Saturn V rocket kit includes 3 removable rocket stages (first, s-ii second, and s-ivb third) below the launch escape system, command and service module; Plus, there are 2 minifigures to accompany the Lunar Lander and splashdown rocket toy
- After building the Saturn V rocket, you can display the spacecraft horizontally with 3 stands; The Lunar Lander docks with the command and service modules while the Lunar Orbiter sends the rocket into space
- Recreate space adventures with this NASA toy and action figures based off of the included booklet about the manned Apollo Moon missions and the fan designers of this build and play set
- This spaceship toy measures over 39-inches (100cm) high and 6-inches (17cm) in diameter; It includes 1,969 pieces and is ideal for boys and girls 14 years or older
By comparison, at closest approach Juno was more than 10 times closer to Jupiter than satellites in geosynchronous orbit are to Earth, traveling at a speed about five times faster than the Apollo missions did when they left Earth for the Moon,” said the agency.
