Lego god joins Nasa's mission to Jupiter

Nasa has launched a $1.1bn unmanned space mission to Jupiter. The Juno spacecraft is the first solar-powered mission to venture this far from the Sun. It is expected to arrive in orbit in 2016.

Figurines of the Roman god Jupiter, his wife Juno and Galileo Galilei are onboard the Juno spacecraft. The 1.5-inch Lego statues are part of a project to encourage children to explore science.

Also onboard is a plaque dedicated to astronomer Galileo Galilei, including a text about Jupiter written in his own hand. Galileo discovered that moons orbited Jupiter in 1610.

A rocket will launch Juno on its five-year trip to Jupiter. Even with five solid-fuelled boosters the spacecraft will still require a flyby of Earth to get up enough energy to swing out to the planet.

Juno will travel with three 34-foot-long wings coated with 18,000 solar cells which will soak up energy from the Sun. At Jupiter the intensity of sunlight is only 1/25th of that at Earth.

Juno's mission is to look at the evolution of Jupiter and improve an understanding of how our Solar System came to be. The probe will spend a year investigating the planet's origins and atmosphere.

Juno is expected to uncover remarkable insights into the coloured bands around Jupiter and information about the Great Red Spot - a colossal storm which has raged on the planet for hundreds of years.

Photo 1/7 Nasa has launched a $1.1bn unmanned space mission to Jupiter. The Juno spacecraft is the first solar-powered mission to venture this far from the Sun. It is expected to arrive in orbit in 2016.

From Earth's top astronauts to Lego figurines - Nasa launches a solar-powered space mission to the planet Jupiter, which carries some unusual passengers. Pictures courtesy of Nasa.

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Lego god joins Nasa's mission to Jupiter

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