It'll make two 53 day orbits, then do another engine burn to push it into a 14-day orbit, where the science will begin. Hopefully at that point, we'll get some nice images from the craft's high-resolution JunoCam (the first image is shown above). From there, it'll point its antenna toward Earth, and start sending telemetry around 12:16 AM. Those potential issues will create a lot of suspense, but if things unfold as expected, Juno will be captured by Jupiter's gravity and enter orbit around 11:38 PM. Did I mention that it takes 48 minutes for the craft to send a signal back to Earth? The Jovian planet has a very intense magnetic field, which could also knock out Juno's sensitive instruments, even though they're shielded by titanium. A miscalculation could also send it too close, as its first orbit will put it at a very tight 2,900 miles from the top of Jupiter's atmosphere. Juno has just one chance to make the crucial engine burn and achieve orbit - if the motor fails, it'll go flying off into space.
Another way to follow along is with NASA's Eyes on Juno app for Mac or PC that gives you a simulated ride aboard the craft. To catch it live, tune in to NASA's Juno Mission Control Live broadcast on Ustream, starting at 10:30 PM ET. If you're a space nerd - and even if you're not - the event should be exciting. That'll give it just the right speed to be captured into a 53-day orbit around the planet. If all goes well, the craft will fire its main engine for 35 minutes and scrub 1,212 mph from its current 37,000 mph velocity. That'll give space fans some additional fireworks, as NASA and JPL will be broadcasting the crucial orbit insertion starting at around 10:30 PM ET.
NASA launched its Jupiter-exploring Juno spacecraft on August 5, 2011, but thanks to some patriotic timing, it's arriving at the gas giant today on July 4th.
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