* Astronomy

NASA Sets Launch Coverage Events For Mission To Jupiter
 
NASA's Juno spacecraft is set to launch toward Jupiter aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on Aug. 5. The launch window extends from 11:34 a.m. to 12:33 p.m. EDT, and the launch period extends through Aug. 26.
The spacecraft is expected to arrive at Jupiter in 2016 on a mission to investigate the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere. Juno's colour camera will provide close-up images of Jupiter, including the first detailed views of the planet's poles.
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Gas Giant Spacecraft All Gassed Up

The Juno spacecraft completed hydrazine fuel loading, oxidiser loading and final tank pressurisations this week, and now the complete propulsion system is ready for the trip to Jupiter. The spacecraft is currently at the Astrotech processing facility in Titusville, Fla.
Hydrazine is the fuel of choice for most spacecraft because of its stored energy. When the fuel is mixed with the oxidiser, the liquid ignites in the propulsion system's main engine to perform the spacecraft's four large manoeuvres. One of these manoeuvres includes inserting the spacecraft into orbit around Jupiter in 2016.
With the fuelling completion, the spacecraft is 99 percent ready for launch. Once the final thermal blanket closeouts and wet spin tests are complete, the spacecraft will be 100 percent ready for installation onto the Atlas 551 launch vehicle.
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NASA Will Host 150 People for Tweetup at Launch of Jupiter-Bound Mission

NASA will host a two-day launch Tweetup for 150 of its Twitter followers on Aug. 4-5 at the agency's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Tweetup is expected to culminate in the launch of the Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket.
The launch window opens at 15:39 GMT (11:39 a.m. EDT) on Aug. 5. 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 colour camera will provide close-up images of Jupiter, including the first detailed glimpse of the planet's poles.
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NASA Administrator Visits Jupiter-Bound Spacecraft

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visited NASA's Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft on Thursday, May 5, 2011, at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla. The solar-powered Juno spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere.
Juno will be carried into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, lifting off from Launch Complex-41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The launch period opens Aug. 5, 2011, and extends through Aug. 26. For an Aug. 5 liftoff, the launch window opens at 8:39 a.m. PDT (11:39 am EDT) and remains open through 9:39 a.m. PDT (12:39 p.m. EDT).
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