Juno's current orbit in Jupiter has already provided a number of useful data in the discovery of the planet Jupiter. Since its launch in August 2011, it has been orbiting the giant planet in a 53-earth day orbit, however, engine problems have resurfaced to alter the spacecraft's schedule. The previously outlined program of Juno to have a 14-Earth day Jupiter orbit has been canceled, therefore reducing the flybys to 12.

The close flybys gather significant data on the planet's magnetic and gravitational fields together with Jupiter's interior structure and composition. Now that Juno's orbit will maintain, it may still probe at a distance of 2,600 miles from the planet's atmosphere or as far as five million miles from it. According to reports from The Space Reporter, the engine problem may cause significant damage on the probe's orbit, thus poses a threat to its collection of scientific data.

NASA's Juno project manager Rick Nybakken explains that as long as Juno is far from the orbit, it will also have a prolonged life when it is saved from excessive exposure to Jupiter's radiation belts. From 2011 to present, Juno had at least four flybys of the planet as it also revealed the strength of Jupiter's magnetic fields and auroras. Based on reports from WAAY, the situation of Juno may be a blessing in disguise as it will have a closer encounter with Jupiter's magnetosphere, the source of the planet's intense magnetic field.

After further deliberation from the Planetary Science Division, the ultimate verdict from the NASA headquarters came on February 17 as the team of experts decided not to proceed with the original mission plan. Maintaining its orbit is the best possible way to preserve NASA's valuable asset and still allow Juno to explore more about Jupiter. Despite the condition of Juno, its instruments can still provide amazing data until the end of its funding on July 2018.

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