The Juno mission to Jupiter is yet another indictment of how boundless human ingenuity truly is.
After a journey of 370 million miles through space, the Juno probe has completed its first flyby around the largest planet in the Solar System.
The probe is scheduled to perform another 35 passes around Jupiter before its primary mission is deemed to be complete in February 2018.
Juno has set a new record in deep space exploration, as it is the first man-made object to get so close to Jupiter’s volatile surface. The probe flew at at distance of 2,600 miles above the planet, a close encounter indeed, in cosmic terms.
The probe’s equipment will look at Jupiter’s composition, gravity, magnetic field, and the source of its 384 mph winds.
And at the end of its mission, Juno will self-destruct by entering into Jupiter’s dense atmosphere.