In an IEEE conf. last week, NASA engrs explained how they fixed the Juno spacecraft’s failing camera in late 2023 by heating and slow-cooling (annealing) its electronics.
After 8 years in Jupiter's radiation belts, JunoCam image quality deteriorated.
Engrs suspected a radiation-damaged voltage regulator. JunoCam was heated to 77F and much higher in a later step. And the images got clearer!
Annealing can change the crystal structure of materials incl silicon chips.
Launched in 2011, Juno reached Jupiter in July 2016 and was expected to perform 36 14-day science orbits until end of mission in 2018. Instead, it performed ~32 38-day orbits until its prime mission ended in 2021.
The mission was extended until 2025, with 42 additional orbits, including close passes of Jupiter’s north pole, its moons and rings.
The later orbits spend more time inside Jupiter's ferocious radiation belts, risking damage to spacecraft electronics.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-juno-mission-expands-into-the-future
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Interestingly, the JunoCam imager was added belatedly to the Juno mission ... for public outreach purposes, not as a science instrument. It was anticipated that it would last for just 8 orbits due to the damaging effects of Jupiter's intense radiation belts and end its mission in Sep 2017.
The little camera has proven its worth far beyond expectations. Can we imagine the Juno mission without JunoCam's dazzling images?
https://www.planetary.org/articles/06090600-what-to-expect-from-junocam
More images at https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/Juno
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AkaSci 🛰️