WASHINGTON, Oct 20, (APP/AFP) – Officials in charge of NASA’s Juno space probe orbiting Jupiter last weekend delayed a crucial maneuver due to a main engine malfunction, they said Wednesday. In addition, the ship’s computer systems automatically went into safety mode early Wednesday (5:47 GMT). Unrelated to the main engine, the switchover was due to a malfunction of two helium valves in the fuel pressurization system. But officials sought to downplay any serious concerns. Safety mode turns off instruments and some non-critical spacecraft components, and confirmed the spacecraft was pointed toward the sun so solar arrays power up. “At the time safe mode was entered, the spacecraft was more than 13 hours from its closest approach to Jupiter,” said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
International News
Glitch, safe mode as Juno space probe orbits Jupiter
