KSC-2011-3269

TITUSVILLE, Fla. -- Lockheed Martin technicians in the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Fla., deploy and test the Radio and Plasma Wave Sensor, called WAVES for short, on to NASA's Juno spacecraft. WAVES is a science boom instrument that will measure radio and plasma waves emitting from Jupiter. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug. 5, 2011, reaching Jupiter in July 2016. Juno is scheduled to launch aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug. 5, 2011, reaching Jupiter in July 2016. The spacecraft will orbit the giant planet more than 30 times, skimming to within 3,000 miles above its cloud tops, for about one year. With its suite of science instruments, the spacecraft will investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras. For more information visit, www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Frankie Martin