10 - 26 - 18 | Large structures of moving air have been detected on Jupiter's atmosphere by the Voyager missions were first detected in 1979. The Juno mission has recently imaged Jupiter's atmosphere. On analysis of these photos, there were wave trains detected moving across the upper atmosphere of Jupiter. These are thought to be gravity disturbances from below the upper atmosphere, such as large thunderstorms or updraft from the planet's climate below, analysis of these phenomena are ongoing.
The engineers had to first construct a probe capable of lasting in orbit around Jupiter whilst taking pictures and analyzing the planet, and secondly build a rocket that can bring the probe out of Earth's atmosphere. The probe needed to be light enough to be carried out of the atmosphere, but still have all the equipment necessary to last for years in orbit of the massive planet. The JunoCam is equipped with a color visible-light spectrum camera, capable of capturing photos of the distant behemoth. Although these photographs are primarily for public interest, they are a stunning way to see images of the atmosphere of one of our Gas Giants.
This discovery has uncovered more about the nature of Jupiter and Gas Giants in general. And on top of that, the images from JunoCam have sparked more public interest in space exploration. Hopefully this discovery will be one of many to come, leading to a new age of space exploration and intrigue. There is a lot of potential for these missions to the outer reaches of our solar system and many of them are more important than they look on the surface.
Our JPL project, although not exactly rocket science, is similar to this discovery in a small aspect. A group of engineers working together to complete a goal. They did it to get to Jupiter, were just doing it so we can move a pipe but the spirit is still there. We are working together well and have achieved a lot in the past few weeks. The future of our project looks promising, and I believe we have a big chance at winning the competition.
News | NASA's Juno Mission Detects Jupiter Wave Trains:
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=7264