果冻影院

The European Space Agency鈥檚 Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) will spend eight years travelling to the Jupiter system. On the way, it will perform fly-bys of Earth and Venus, using the gravitational听fields of the planets to generate enough speed to reach Jupiter. One of these will be the first ever lunar-Earth gravity assist manoeuvre.

果冻影院 researchers, funded by the UK Space Agency, provided particle detectors for the spacecraft鈥檚 Particle Environment Package (PEP), which will sample the particles whizzing around Jupiter, including, potentially, from plumes of water spraying up from the moon Europa. 果冻影院 is also involved in the science teams for two other instruments: the J-MAG magnetometer instrument and JANUS optical camera system.

Professor Geraint Jones (Mullard Space Science Laboratory at 果冻影院 and The Centre for Planetary Sciences at 果冻影院/Birkbeck), a co-investigator on the PEP instrument and a member of the JANUS instrument team, who is coordinating plans for JANUS to study Jupiter鈥檚 aurorae, said: 鈥淚t鈥檚 fantastic to see JUICE, carrying the PEP instrument that we contributed to, nearing its launch. We look forward to seeing data from our sensors on the 鈥榮oup鈥� of ions, electrons and atoms surrounding Jupiter and its moons. This data will help us, for instance, to understand how particles around Jupiter reach such high energies 鈥� energies that could be fatal for an astronaut.鈥�

On arrival in 2031, JUICE will circle Jupiter and fly past moons Ganymede, Europa and Callisto, making observations and taking measurements, studying the Jovian system as an archetype for gas giants elsewhere in the universe.

Finally in December 2034, JUICE will transfer into orbit around Ganymede, becoming the first spacecraft ever to orbit a moon other than Earth鈥檚. While up close and personal with Ganymede, the mission will investigate the giant ocean that scientists believe hides under its icy crust, seeking evidence of habitability.

Professor Andrew Coates (Mullard Space Science Laboratory at 果冻影院 and The Centre for Planetary Sciences at 果冻影院/Birkbeck), a co-investigator on the PEP and JANUS instrument teams who in 2012 helped get the mission selected as a member of the ESA Science Definition Team, said: 鈥淚鈥檓 particularly looking forward to the PEP and JANUS data from [Jupiter鈥檚 moons] Europa and Ganymede鈥檚 weak watery atmospheres. We anticipate flying through potential plumes from Europa鈥檚 subsurface ocean, and with PEP we hope to measure the particles at work in these interactions.

鈥淚f we find negative chlorine ions at any of the moons, as we have simulated, this would be direct evidence for subsurface salty oceans.

鈥淕anymede鈥檚 鈥榤agnetosphere within a magnetosphere鈥� is also especially exciting and leads to interesting and unique effects like听magnetic reconnection 鈥� the breaking and reconnecting of magnetic field lines 鈥� and the extremely powerful aurora听we see at Jupiter鈥檚 poles.

鈥�Ganymede鈥檚 unique magnetic field means that it has its own weak aurora too, as found by the Galileo mission. We look forward to flying through and exploring this more, amongst the many exciting science goals, like determining Ganymede鈥檚 interior structure as JUICE orbits this intriguing moon from late 2034.鈥�

Professor Nick Achilleos (果冻影院 Physics & Astronomy and The Centre for Planetary Sciences at 果冻影院/Birkbeck), a member of the science team for the J-MAG instrument, said: 鈥淥ne of the prime science goals for the J-MAG is to isolate, from the complex magnetic environment of Ganymede, the small magnetic signal corresponding to induced currents flowing in the subsurface ocean which is likely to be present. The variability and strength of this induced field signal will hold important clues as to the salinity, depth and thickness of Ganymede's ocean."

The UK Space Agency invested 拢9 million into the JUICE science payload, by supporting three critical instruments on board: J-MAG, JANUS and PEP.

JUICE is a collaboration between ESA, NASA and the space agencies of Japan and Israel and will consider two key themes from ESA鈥檚 Cosmic Vision 2015 鈥� 2025: What are the conditions for planet formation and the emergence of life? And how does the Solar System work?

JUICE will spend its eight-year voyage productively; it will pass by Venus to test and calibrate its instruments, gather data and take advantage of the gravity assist to save on fuel. Meanwhile, scientists on the ground will work on finalising software and data modelling in time for arrival at Jupiter.

The particle detectors for听the JENI and JoEE sensors on the PEP instrument were built by West Sussex-based company Micron Semiconductor Ltd. Professor Coates and Jones helped to design them, and tested and characterised them, investigating how they responded to different doses of radiation.

Links

• Mullard Space Science Laboratory at 果冻影院
• 果冻影院 Physics & Astronomy
• 果冻影院 Mathematical & Physical Sciences
• The Centre for Planetary Sciences at 果冻影院/Birkbeck

Image

JUICE meets Ariane: ESA鈥檚 Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) on top of the Ariane 5 rocket that will carry it into space. Technicians are working atop the rocket, bolting down Juice鈥檚 launch vehicle adapter to keep it secure during launch. Credit: . Middle:听Artist's conception of the JUICE spacecraft at Jupiter. Credit: ESA

Media contact

Mark Greaves

T: +44 (0)7990 675947

E: m.greaves [at] ucl.ac.uk