Just seconds before the first firework hit the sky above Lacy Park on Monday night, JPL was rocked by the news that NASA’s Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit after an almost five-year journey to the solar system’s largest planet. Confirmation of the of the event was received at 8:53 p.m. PDT.
“Independence Day always is something to celebrate, but today we can add to America’s birthday another reason to cheer – Juno is at Jupiter,” NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden said. “And what is more American than a NASA mission going boldly where no spacecraft has gone before?”
For San Marino resident and former school board member Dr. Jeng Yen, the news has particular significance. Dr. Yen is Robot Operations Group Supervisor of Mobility and Robotic Systems at JPL and is currently driving the Curiosity Mars Rover, which landed on the Red Planet on August 6, 2012.
“I’m very excited to receive Juno’s data,” Dr. Yen told The Tribune. “It can help us in the design and operation of the coming Europa Mission.”
Dr. Yen is scheduled to be a member of the team that will attack the ambitious Europa Mission, which is currently scheduled to launch between 2022 and 2025 with hopes of landing on Jupiter three years later.
In the meantime, Jeng is preparing to take part in the Mars 2020 Mission, which will deploy a lander designed to evaluate the habitability of Mars and assess natural resources and hazards in preparation for future human expeditions to the Red Planet.
“These are truly exciting, historical times,” said Dr. Yen.
