Like Earth’s Moon, Io is tidally locked, that means the identical facet all the time faces Jupiter. JunoCam, Juno’s large angle digicam, will seize the antijovian facet of Io — that’s, the facet dealing with away from Jupiter — on every flyby. That can enable scientists to seek for floor adjustments.
“We will search for adjustments from the volcanoes, that are going to be actually enjoyable to take a look at,” stated Sweet Hansen, a senior scientist on the Planetary Science Institute who leads the mission’s JunoCam investigation.
When Juno makes its closest approaches in December and February, the spacecraft will flip its radio antenna in the direction of Earth to carry out an necessary science experiment. As Io’s gravity tugs on the spacecraft, the spacecraft’s sign will shift. Scientists will be capable of decode these shifts to get a tough thought of how magma is distributed beneath Io’s floor.
“Is it in subsurface patches, or is there a complete liquid mantle, so to talk?” stated Hansen. “We imagine with the gravitational information that we are able to get on these two, 1,500-kilometer flybys that we can inform the distinction.”
Having the antenna pointed at Earth for the radio experiment will restrict what JunoCam can see. Nonetheless, after shut method, Io’s subjovian facet — the facet dealing with Jupiter — will come into sight at a distance of about 6,000 kilometers (3,700 miles). The angle between Juno, Io, and the Solar will probably be about 90 levels, creating an exquisite half-lit view of Io for JunoCam to seize.
The Io Volcano Observer
Though Juno will acquire helpful information throughout its upcoming flybys, solely a devoted mission to Io can reply key questions scientists have in regards to the moon.
The proposed Io Volcano Observer, or IVO, is a spacecraft that might orbit Jupiter and make repeated shut flybys of Io. IVO would encounter the moon 10 instances inside three-and-a-half years. An prolonged mission may give it one other 10 encounters over two years.
Like Juno, IVO would use its radio transmitter to assist scientists decide whether or not Io has a subsurface magma ocean. Whereas Juno’s closest flyby will probably be at 1,500 kilometers, IVO will rise up shut and private at 300 kilometers (190 miles), giving it better perception into what feeds the moon’s volcanoes.
Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter, Europa and Ganymede, which heats its inside and sends lava spilling onto the floor and showering into area. Whether or not that lava begins as magma deep inside the moon or in swimming pools or oceans close to the floor is unknown.
“The massive query about Io is, how does it work?” stated Alfred McEwen, the mission’s principal investigator and a regents professor on the College of Arizona.
The gravitational forces on Io are so immense, the moon’s floor flexes as much as 100 meters (330 toes) because it orbits Jupiter. With out this pressure, Io can be as geologically lifeless as Earth’s Moon, stated McEwen.
IVO would measure Io’s magnetic sign and the composition of gases coming from the floor. It might additionally measure lava temperatures, which requires a specifically designed digicam calibrated to maintain Io’s volcanoes from overwhelming its detectors.
The mission would enable scientists to mannequin how warmth is generated and transported inside Io. These fashions might be helpful for finding out the traditional Earth and Moon, in addition to ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus which can be warmed by tidal heating.
“We will doubtlessly be taught one thing in regards to the very early histories of different worlds, notably Earth’s Moon, which is sort of the very same dimension and density as Io,” McEwen stated. “There ought to be some shut analogies.”
