NASA Launches Juno Rocket to Jupiter

[Vartok]

NASA on Friday launched the billion-dollar solar-powered spacecraft Juno on a five-year journey to Jupiter aiming to discover what makes up the solar system's biggest planet.

The unmanned satellite observatory was propelled into space aboard a 197-foot (60-meter) tall Atlas V rocket, blasting off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 12:25 pm (1625 GMT).

"Ignition and liftoff on the Atlas V with Juno on a trek to Jupiter, a planetary piece of the puzzle on the beginning of our solar system," said a NASA television commentator.

Some 53 minutes later Juno separated from its carrier rocket, heading off solo into space.

V

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/05/nasa-to-launch-juno-mission-to-jupiter/

[Bryancd]

Awesome, this along with new Mars mission are going to be great.

[Rico]

That's an awesome looking rocket!

[turtlesrock]

good luck juno! :)

[Bryancd]

That's an awesome looking rocket!

Hell yea! Who says the US space program is dead should just go on over to JPL's web site and see what's going on.