2016 in REVIEW the Juno Spacecraft’S Successful Entry Into Jupiter’S Orbit July 4 and Dawn’S Continuing Exploration of the Dwarf Planet Ceres Led Highlights for 2016

DECEMBER Jet Propulsion 2016 Laboratory VOLUME 46

NUMBER 12 2016 IN REVIEW The Juno spacecraft’s successful entry into Jupiter’s orbit July 4 and Dawn’s continuing exploration of the dwarf planet Ceres led highlights for 2016. Michael Watkins became JPL’s director during the summer, and the Laboratory’s suite of Earth science missions kept pace in providing key measurements of a changing world. JPL’s Mars rovers, Opportunity and Curiosity, explored valleys, craters and mountains, and Cassini readied for its final months of exploration. Jovian joy

Leaders of the Juno mission celebrate the spacecraft’s July 4 arrival at Jupiter to begin its 32-orbit science mission at the gas giant. Project Manager Rick Nybak- ken, facing the camera, hugs JPL’s act- ing director for solar system exploration, Richard Cook. Behind Nybakken is JPL Director Michael Watkins.

More Ceres ahead

The Dawn spacecraft completed its primary mission in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter on June 30 and NASA extended it for an additional year. Since March 2015, it’s been explor- ing dwarf planet Ceres, and is currently measuring cosmic rays in its sixth science orbit. At right is Occator Crater with its intriguing bright regions, composed of reflective salt (principally sodium car- bonate) left on the ground when briny water froze before sublimating. Dawn spent 14 months in orbit around the giant asteroid Vesta, departing in 2012.

Continued on page 2 and GRACEFollow-Onmissions. entist fortheGRACE,GRAIL Mars OdysseyandDeepImpact. and review teamsforCassini, tory, andled NASAdevelopment erations forMarsScienceLabora development through landedop He was also mission manager from tion andMissionDesignSection. the ScienceDivisionandNaviga Science Directorate, andmanaged scientist fortheEngineeringand ty’s Center for SpaceResearch. he wasdirector oftheuniversi University ofTexas atAustin,where In 2015-16hespentayearatthe was on the staff of JPL for 22 years. engineer andscientist,previously of JPLonJuly1,2016.Watkins, an New leadership 2016 INREVIEW Watkins servedasproject sci At JPL,Watkins servedaschief Michael Watkins becamedirector Continued from page1 - - - - - er andmarineforecasting and tropical cyclonemonitoring. speed anddirection overtheoceansurfacehavebeenusedbyagenciesworldwide forweath winds—which iscriticalindeterminingregionalmeasurements weatherpatterns—its ofwind the uniquevantagepointofspacestationtoprovide near-real-time monitoringofocean strument endedoperationsinNovemberfollowingasuccessfultwo-yearmission.Byusing circulation andclimatechange. Jason 3willmakehighlydetailedmeasurements ofEarth’s sealevelstogaininsightintoocean topography measurements begunbyJPL’s Topex/Poseidon andtheJason12satellites. winter andreduce wateravailabilitythefollowingsummer. where rainfallsonexistingsnowpack,causingittomelt.Thoseeventsincrease floodrisksin more likelythanothertypesofwinterstormstoresult indestructive“rain-on-snow”events, found thatinCalifornia’s SierraNevada,atmospheric riverstormsare two-and-a-halftimes tions, usingdatafrom JPL’s OrbitingCarbonObservatory 2. global mapsofhumanemissionscarbondioxideevermade solelyfrom satelliteobserva Eyes onthehomeplanet • JPL’s International Space Station Rapid Scatterometer (ISS-RapidScat) Earth science in science Earth (ISS-RapidScat) ScatterometerJPL’s Rapid • Station Space International surface ocean of timeline the extends 2016, January in launched satellite, 3 Jason The • institutions partner and JPL Sounder,by Infrared study Atmospheric a the from data Using • • In a new, space-based view of human-made carbon dioxide, scientists produced the first the produced scientists dioxide, carbon human-made of view new,space-based a In • daring GrandFinale Orbits. which pointCassini entersaseriesofeven more spacecraft’s finalcloseTitanflybyinApril 2017,at outside Saturn’s Fring.Theorbitswillendwiththe Cassini willswoopdownthrough theringplanejust mission phaseinlateNovember. Oneachorbit, 2017, CassinibeganitsnewRing-GrazingOrbits Close shaveatSaturn In preparation foritsgrand finaleinSeptember Continued onpage3 - - -

Universe 2 planets. In this case, the observations revealed a brown dwarf. is usefulforfinding low-massbodiesorbiting stars,suchas tational fieldof atleastoneforeground cosmicobject. This lensing event, when a distant star brightens due to the gravi Swift spacetelescopesjoined forces toobserveamicro tidal disruptioneventsmore precisely than everbefore. scientists tomeasure theenergy offlares from stellar re-emits theirlight,likeechoes.Thisapproach allowed the flares bystudyinghowsurrounding dust absorbsand Infrared Survey Explorer. Two new studies characterize tidal disruptionflares, thankstodatafrom JPL’s Wide-field called aflare. Astronomers nowhave new insightsinto amount ofenergy, brighteningthesurroundings inanevent call “stellartidaldisruption”(right),releases anenormous Far outastrophysics “Lewis andClarkGap,”through whichOpportunitycrossed from “MarathonValley” to“Bitterroot Valley” inSeptember2016. wallof“Marathon Valley”part ofthesouthern rimofEndeavourCrater. onthewestern Neartherightedgeofsceneis 2016 INREVIEW Rover stillexploring I a is-fiskn claoain NS’ Sizr and Spitzer NASA’s collaboration, first-of-its-kind a In • astronomers which star, a destroying hole black A • The panoramic camera aboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity imaged “Wharton Ridge” (above), which forms Continued from page2 Mt. Sharpbeckons - - get nearer toeachother, it’s asthough theyare ringing veryloudly.” study. “Oneorbothstarsvibrate throughout their orbits, andwhenthey other with ahammer,” said JPLer Avi Shporer, lead author of a recent tion, whenthestarsreach theirclosestapproach, it’s as iftheyhiteach “You canthinkaboutthestarsasbells,andonceevery orbitalrevolu other, andasfar10timesthatdistance duringthecourseofoneorbit. Kepler spacetelescope,can get ascloseafewstellarradiitoeach Hatet tr, icvrd n ag nmes y h JPL-developed the by numbers large in discovered stars, Heartbeat • underground environments changed, evidence ofhow ancient lakesandwet the layered Mt.Sharp(left)andfinding Earth, thesereactions supportlife.” solve. Electrons getredistributed. On New mineralsformandoldonesdis cal reactor. Elementsgetrearranged. tary basinsuchasthisisachemi member JohnGrotzinger. “Asedimen tions, we’vehitajackpot,”saidteam in thecompositionatdifferent eleva bial life.“There issomuchvariability affected theirfavorabilityformicro diverse chemicalenvironments that billions ofyearsago,creating more The Curiosityrover isnowclimbing ------

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Universe 4