At Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, a Volga-Dnepr Antonov AN-124-100, a Ukranian/Russian cargo aircraft has landed on the Skid Strip. The aircraft is delivering the booster stage of a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket slated to launch NASA's Juno spacecraft Aug. 5.
The solar-powered spacecraft will orbit Jupiter's poles 33 times to find out more about the gas giant's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere and investigate the existence of a solid planetary core. For more information visit: www.nasa.gov/juno. Photo credit: NASA/Jack Pfaller