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Microwave Radiometer (Juno)

In this view several white squares of different sizes can be seen on the side of the spacecraft;this side has five of the six MWR antennas. The triangular boom on the right is the Magnetometer (MAG) instrument
The white square is the biggest MWR antenna, and takes up another side of the spacecraft. This antenna is for 600 MHz.[1]
This visualization released by NASA depicts the layers that MWR will observe below the top visible cloud layer

Microwave Radiometer (MWR) is an instrument on the Juno orbiter sent to planet Jupiter.[2] MWR is a multi-wavelength microwave radiometer for making observations of Jupiter's deep atmosphere.[3] MWR can observe radiation from 1.37 to 50 cm in wavelength, from 600 MHz to 22 GHz in frequencies.[3][4] This supports its goal of observing the previously unseen atmospheric features and chemical abundances hundreds of miles or kilometers into Jupiter's atmosphere.[3] MWR is designed to detect six different frequencies in that range using separate antennas.[5]

MWR views Jupiter's microwave radiation so it can see up to hundreds of miles deep into the planet.[2] In August 2016, as Juno swung closely by the planet MWR achieved a penetration of 200 to 250 miles (350 to 400 kilometers) below the surface cloud layer.[2] MWR is designed to make observations below the cloud-tops, especially detecting the abundances of certain chemicals and determining dynamic features.[3] These depths have not been observed before.[3]

MWR was launched aboard the Juno spacecraft on August 5, 2011 (UTC) from Cape Canaveral, USA, as part of the New Frontiers program,[6] and after an interplanetary journey that including a swingby of Earth, entered a polar orbit of Jupiter on July 5, 2016 (UTC),[7][8]

The electronics for MWR are located inside the Juno Radiation Vault, which uses titanium to protect it and other spacecraft electronics.[4][9][1] The antennas and transmission lines are designed to handle the radiation environment at Jupiter so the instrument can function.[4]

  1. ^ a b "Instrument Overview – Juno". spaceflight101.com. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  2. ^ a b c Spacecom - Jupiter's Stripes Go Deep, and Other Surprises from Juno Probe - October 2016
  3. ^ a b c d e Janssen, M. A.; Brown, S. T.; Oswald, J. E.; Kitiyakara, A. (2014-09-01). "Juno at Jupiter: The Juno microwave radiometer (MWR)". 2014 39th International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz waves (IRMMW-THZ). pp. 1–3. doi:10.1109/IRMMW-THz.2014.6956004. ISBN 978-1-4799-3877-3. S2CID 42435396.
  4. ^ a b c Pingree, P.; Janssen, M.; Oswald, J.; Brown, S.; Chen, J.; Hurst, K.; Kitiyakara, A.; Maiwald, F.; Smith, S. (2008-03-01). "Microwave Radiometers from 0.6 to 22 GHZ for Juno, A Polar Orbiter around Jupiter". 2008 IEEE Aerospace Conference. pp. 1–15. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.473.3408. doi:10.1109/AERO.2008.4526403. ISBN 978-1-4244-1487-1. S2CID 41709045.
  5. ^ "Instruments and Science Data Systems - Microwave Radiometers". instrumentsanddatasystems.jpl.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on 2016-11-30. Retrieved 2017-02-03.
  6. ^ Dunn, Marcia (August 5, 2011). "NASA probe blasts off for Jupiter after launch-pad snags". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 11, 2013. Retrieved August 31, 2011.
  7. ^ Chang, Kenneth (July 5, 2016). "NASA's Juno Spacecraft Enters Jupiter's Orbit". The New York Times. Retrieved July 5, 2016.
  8. ^ Chang, Kenneth (June 28, 2016). "NASA's Juno Spacecraft Will Soon Be in Jupiter's Grip". The New York Times. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
  9. ^ Key and Driving Requirements for the Juno Payload Suite of Instruments

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