IntroductionWhile Jupiter has been known since ancient times, the first detailed observations of this planet were made by Galileo Galilei in 1610 with a small telescope. More recently, this planet has been visited by passing spacecraft, orbiters and probes.
Pioneer 10 and 11 and Voyager 1 and 2 were the first to fly by Jupiter in the 1970s, and since then we’ve sent Galileo to orbit the gas giant and drop a probe into its atmosphere. Cassini took detailed photos of Jupiter on its way to neighboring Saturn, as did New Horizons on its quest for Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, which arrived in the Jovian system in July 2016, is currently studying the giant planet from orbit.
Significant Events
Significant Events
- 1610: Galileo Galilei makes the first detailed observations of Jupiter.
- 1973: Pioneer 10 becomes the first spacecraft to cross the asteroid belt and fly past Jupiter.
- 1979: Voyager 1 and 2 discover Jupiter's faint rings, several new moons and volcanic activity on Io's surface.
- 1992: Ulysses swung by Jupiter on Feb. 8, 1992. The giant planet's gravity bent the spacecraft's flight path southward and away from the ecliptic plane, putting the probe into a final orbit that would take it over the sun's south and north poles.
- 1994: Astronomers observe as pieces of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 collide with Jupiter's southern hemisphere.
- 1995-2003: The Galileo spacecraft drops a probe into Jupiter's atmosphere and conducts extended observations of Jupiter and its moons and rings.
- 2000: Cassini makes its closest approach to Jupiter at a distance of approximately 6.2 million miles (10 million kilometers), taking a highly detailed true color mosaic photo of the gas giant.
- 2007: Images taken by NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, on the way to Pluto, show new perspectives on Jupiter's atmospheric storms, the rings, volcanic Io, and icy Europa.
- 2009: On 20 July, almost exactly 15 years after fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy slammed into Jupiter, a comet or asteroid crashes into the giant planet's southern hemisphere.
- 2011: Juno launches to examine Jupiter's chemistry, atmosphere, interior structure and magnetosphere.
- 2016: NASA's Juno spacecraft arrives at Jupiter, conducting an in-depth investigation of the planet's atmosphere, deep structure and magnetosphere for clues to its origin and evolution.
Notable Explorers
Tracy Drain
Flight Systems Engineer
"The important thing about being a scientist or an engineer is learning how to think critically – learning how to learn."
Thomas Ashcraft
NASA Citizen Scientist
"Science gives purpose and meaning to life. Let it open up paths, and see where they lead over time."
Suzanne "Suzy" Dodd
Project Manager
"Math is going to be the basis for all the science and engineering that you will have to do in the future."
Susan Niebur (1973-2012)
Astrophysicist
I decided that my dream was to work for NASA, even if there weren't any girls there yet. Someday there would be, and I was going to be one.
"There is no substitute for persistence. You must get all the training you need, and you must do well at it... that's a given."
“I'm the Mission Operations Manager for SunRISE. I'm also a systems engineer for Europa Clipper.”
"Study hard and do what you love, then it doesn't feel like work."
"The most exciting moments are the 'aha moments' when a scientific problem that you've been wrestling with suddenly falls into place and begins to make sense."
"His spirit will continue to inspire us as we continue our quest to understand the Universe."
Phillips Phil Davis
Web Producer
Ask lots of questions. Be persistent. And never stop exploring your options.
Paul Mahaffy
Planetary Scientist
"Many different technical and scientific skills are needed to plan and implement the planetary missions we work on."
Neil Gehrels (1952-2017)
Astrophysicist
The happiest people I know are ones who think of their field as both a hobby and a job.
Mark Hofstadter
Planetary Scientist
"To me, being a scientist means seeing something in nature and wanting to figure out how it works or why it is the way it is."
Margaret Kivelson
Scientist
Remember, I started before there were any spacecraft!
"Be tenacious. If you know you want to do something, go and find someone who will help you do it."
Kaley Pinover
Systems Engineer
"I design high-level concepts for how we’ll launch and fly our spacecraft."
Joan Salute
Program Executive
Don't be afraid to try new areas. I was in the Earth sciences remote sensing area for 15 years before venturing out.
Jeffrey Cuzzi
Research Scientist
"Stay close to subjects that fascinate you personally, but also ask why is the subject important."
there is absolutely no substitute for being determined.
"Getting along with people is also important -- perhaps as important as solving big equations."
Eric De Jong (1947-2017)
Planetary Scientist
Eric pioneered the use of stereo HDTV, IMAX, and digital cinema technology for the visualization of planetary surfaces and atmospheres.
"It’s important to do the best that you can in whatever field you go into and be passionate about it."
Emily Manor-Chapman
Systems Engineer
"Be curious! Learn something about the field you are interested in, whether by reading a book, taking a course, joining a club, etc. Exploring your interests will help you find your career path."
"When I was a little girl Sputnik was launched, and I was instantly drawn into the whole miracle of spaceflight and exploring the cosmos."
"To be able now to work on projects that are flying to the planets has been really a dream."
"Science and math are fascinating and fundamental. They require as much discipline as an athlete working to be a football player, or a musician attempting to land a recording contract."
Charles (Charlie) F. Hall, managed of several of NASA's most daring and exciting early scientific space missions.
Charlene Pfeifer
Systems Engineer
"Don’t hesitate to explore. You won’t know what you want to do until you actually do it, so take the time in your career path to try different opportunities and learn something new!"
Carl Sagan (1934-1996)
Planetary Scientist
Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.
Bruce C. Murray, the fifth director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was born in New York City in 1931.
Ashwin Vasavada
Project Scientist
"As funny as it sounds, NASA robots inspired me: Viking and Voyager."
I study volcanoes—how they erupt, and why—and what they tell us about the interior not only of the Earth, but other planets and satellites across the solar system.
"Perseverance and hard work are more important than smarts. If you really want to be an astronomer, you can overcome lots of obstacles."
Amy Simon
Planetary Scientist
"Sometimes you have to tackle a problem from many different ways to understand it and you should never be afraid to ask for help."
Albert "Joey" Jefferson
Flight Systems Engineer
"The wonderful part of working at JPL is that perfection isn't expected; however, progression is expected."
"I wanted to conquer space. And my roommate, Roy Walford, decided that he would conquer death. Together we would then conquer time."
I love exploring and living life like it is a grand adventure.
Tracy Drain
Flight Systems Engineer
"The important thing about being a scientist or an engineer is learning how to think critically – learning how to learn."
Missions
Careers
10 Careers That Explore Space
1
Astronaut
Astronauts pave the way for human exploration beyond our Earth. They are pilots, scientists, engineers, teachers, and more.
2
Project Manager
Project managers guide missions from concept to completion, working closely with team members to accomplish what they set out to do.
3
Rover Camera Operator
A camera payload uplink lead writes software commands that tell a rover what pictures to take.
The first thing that fired my imagination for planetary science was when the NASA Voyager spacecraft discovered active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io.
4
Artist
Melding science with design, artists create everything from large-scale installations to the NASA posters hanging in your bedroom.
5
Media Specialist
Media specialists tells stories across social media and help feature missions and people on TV and in films, books, magazines, and news sites.
6
Writer/Producer
Writers/producers capture the incredible stories of NASA's missions and people and share them with the world.
7
Administrator/Director
Administrators and directors work out of NASA headquarters, prioritizing science questions and seeking to expand the frontiers of discovery.
8
Educator
Whether it's introducing kids to space or teaching physics to PhD candidates, educators help share their knowledge with the public.
9
Engineer
Engineers design and build all types of machines, from what a spacecraft looks like to the software that directs where a rover goes each day.
10
Scientist
From an astrophysicist to a volcanologist, scientists of all types pose questions and help find answers to the mysteries of our universe.
The important thing about being a scientist or an engineer is learning how to think critically, learning how to be creative, learning problem solving and learning how to learn.
Explore in 3D
Explore in 3D—Eyes on the Solar System
Eyes on the Solar System lets you explore the planets, their moons, asteroids, comets and the spacecraft exploring them from 1950 to 2050. Ride with the Curiosity Rover as it lands on Mars or fly by Pluto with the New Horizons spacecraft all from the comfort of your home computer.
Eyes on the Solar System ›
