The majority of images taken by the JunoCam camera from the Juno probe have been lost, according to NASA. Worst of all, the team is unable to understand what is happening. The problem appears to lie on the surface and is related to overheating of the camera, but experts are unable to explain why.
During the probe's 47th Jupiter flyby, the first bell rang on December 14, 2022. As NASA explained today, the JunoCam camera unexpectedly exceeded the norm after it was turned on and ready for work. The anomaly lasted 36 minutes, and almost all pictures taken by the camera were sent to Earth.
The anomalous overheating of the camera during the 48th Jupiter flyby on January 22 resulted in the loss of the first 214 photographs taken by the camera. These included a photo of Jupiter's south pole from a distance of 124,735 km.
The JunoCam is not considered a scientific instrument. It is attached to the probe to entice the general public to enjoy astronomy and space activities, that is, to entertain them. However, over time, the camera developed into a useful tool for studying Jupiter and its satellites at close flybys.
We are looking forward to amazing photographs of the moon Io with its active volcanoes. We have never had such close photographs of this Jupiter moon during our 47th visit.
The JunoCam is still powered on and the camera is still working correctly, and it will perform its 49th Jupiter flyby on March 1. It's hoped that NASA experts will correct the issue.
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