Juno Speed 11106 sized

Infographic courtesy of NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

When arriving at Jupiter, the planet’s gravity pulls in Juno faster and faster until the spacecraft reaches a speed of over 250,000 kilometers per hour (150,000 miles per hour) with respect to Earth – making it one of the fastest human-made objects ever. When it arrives at Jupiter, it slams on the brakes, firing its main engine in reverse. After slowing down, Juno can then enter Jupiter orbit.

Juno will cover 2.8 billion kilometers (nearly 1.8 billion miles) during its long, looping voyage. That’s 19 times farther than the distance between Earth and the Sun, and 15 times farther than the closest distance between Earth and Jupiter. If Juno were to fly at the speed of a commercial jet, it would take 342 years to complete its journey!

This article appeared in the November 2013 issue of RocketSTEM.