NASA on verge of launching spacecraft to JupiterAugust 5, 2011 - 14:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - NASA is on the verge of launching a new solar-powered spacecraft all the way to Jupiter. The robotic explorer, named Juno, is atop an unmanned rocket at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Liftoff is scheduled for 11:34 a.m. Friday, August 5, the Associated Press reported. It will take Juno five years to reach Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. The spacecraft will be powered by three huge solar panels. It will be the farthest any solar-powered craft has ever traveled. Previous Jupiter probes have relied on nuclear energy. Jupiter is believed to be the oldest planet in the solar system. Astronomers hope to figure out the recipe for making planets, by uncovering the ingredients of this gas giant. Juno will spend at least one year circling Jupiter's poles. Top stories David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. The number of state universities will be reduced from 23 to 8 by 2030, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan has said. From September 21 to November 11, a total of 2,820 Russians registered at a place of residence in Armenia, the police has said. The situation on the contact line between Karabakh and Azerbaijan was relatively stable overnight, the Defense Army says. Partner news | Armenian, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister to meet in Almaty Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov will meet in Almaty. Ucom's fixed network launched in Artashat To mark this occasion, the company has introduced a special offer exclusively for Artashat residents. The Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life charity The companies inform that the May beneficiary of The Power of One Dram is the “Road of Life” charitable organization. Ucom General Director gives lecture at French University in Armenia The General Director of Ucom Ralph Yirikian delivered a lecture at the French University of Armenia. |