Spacecraft will slingshot around Earth today after successful lunar flyby on its way to Jupiter

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

CNN
—
The European Space Agency’s Juice mission is making two historic firsts on its long journey to study the potential habitability of Jupiter’s icy moons.

The Juice, or Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, spacecraft — launched in April 2023 — is conducting the first flyby of the moon and Earth in succession, and the first double gravity assist maneuver, this week. This process will serve as a slingshot, allowing Earth’s gravity to put the brakes on Juice’s current trajectory and redirect it for a flyby of Venus in August 2025.

Then, Juice can take a shortcut through the solar system and be on track to arrive at Jupiter and its moons in July 2031.

Juice flew by Earth’s moon on August 19 at 5:16 p.m. ET. Next, it will zip by Earth nearly 25 hours later at 5:57 p.m. ET on August 20. The space agency is providing animated tracking of the spacecraft, and some people with binoculars or telescopes in Southeast Asia may be able to see Juice as it flies directly overhead.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/19/science/esa-juice-moon-earth-flyby/index.html

[lastlib]

1. Very cool!

The mathematics of this has to be mind-boggling, even to this old math nerd!

[yonder]

2. Taking a look at the animated orbital path is worth it.

One gets an idea of just how complex the plans for timing and precision really are.