Editing 1703: Juno

{{incomplete|Title text disputed.}}

This comic was written in honor of the {{w|Juno (spacecraft)|Juno space probe}}, which made headlines the day before this comic aired. And it have been reported that Juno arrived at its orbit [http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nation-now/2016/07/06/how-juno-arrived-jupiter-one-second-off-schedule/86745128/ one second off schedule].

Speaking at a {{w|NASA}} press conference a blonde woman standing behind a lectern announces that Juno has arrived at {{w|Jupiter}} within one second of its scheduled arrival. After traveling 1.7 billion miles (2.8 billion km) such a precision is very impressive which is acknowledged by someone from the press.

The joke is that one of the NASA engineers, [[Megan]], reveals that they actually intended for Juno to arrive at {{w|Saturn}}, but actually arrived at Jupiter with a timing that was still apparently the same within one second. Given the reaction from the spokesperson she knew this but it was not supposed to slip out.  

This is of course ridiculous because if Saturn had been the intended target, Juno would have been off course by 10.25 AU when it arrived at Jupiter. Randall might be making a subtle reference to {{w|Mars Climate Orbiter|past difficulties}} NASA has had with [[Converting to Metric|converting to metric]] — in July 2016, Jupiter was 870 million '''kilometers''' (540 million miles) from Earth, while Saturn was 850 million '''miles''' (1.37 billion km) from Earth (and half the distance traveled by Juno). A similar measurement coincidence was noted in [[what if?]] ''{{what if|4|A Mole of Moles}}''. Also Saturn is a [http://www.space.com/18477-how-far-away-is-saturn.html maximum of 1.7 billion '''kilometers'''] (1.1 billion miles) away from the Earth. For Jupiter [http://www.space.com/18383-how-far-away-is-jupiter.html this distance] is 968 million km (601 million miles) away. But when traveling between planets long detours are necessary to reach the goal with a velocity that enables the space craft to go into orbit. So it is just a coincidence that Juno has traveled a distance to get to Jupiter in miles that fits with a possible distance to Saturn in kilometres.

The mix-up of the two planets Jupiter and Saturn could be a reference to the {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (novel)|book}} and the {{w|2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|film}} ''2001: A Space Odyssey''  that were written simultaneously. In the book solely written by {{w|Arthur C. Clarke}} they go to Saturn. In the film (from 1968), however, they found it impossible to make Saturns rings well enough for director (and co-writer) {{w|Stanley Kubrick}} so there they ended up at Jupiter instead. (Athur C. Clarke later made the film canonical when he wrote the sequel ''{{w|2010 (film)|2010}}'', where the plot would only work with Jupiter, mainly because of its size and partly due to its {{w|Galilean moons|four big moons}} especially {{w|Europa (moon)|Europa}}).

==Title text==

Currently there is a disagreement about who says what in the title text. Maybe they will need to be listed as alternatives.

It should be noted that Juno is mostly linked to Jupiter and not to Saturn (the probe was sent to Jupiter in the real world), which fit best with the press speaks first explanation. Also this fits with the order of speaking. NASA, press, NASA and then in the title text press again.

===Press speaks first===

In the title text someone from the press asks if the name of the space probe, ''{{w|Juno (mythology)|Juno}}'', wasn't a tip of given the relation to Jupiter? The goddess Juno was the wife of {{w|Jupiter (mythology)|Jupiter}} the chief deity in the {{w|Roman mythology}}. However her father is {{w|Saturn (mythology)|Saturn}} so there are relations to both Gods/planets. Her relationship to Jupiter, however, is most likely more common knowledge explaining the naming of the probe.

However, instead of mentioning this dual relationship one of the three NASA representatives say that at first they even believed it was for {{w|Juneau, Alaska|Juneau}}, the capital of {{w|Alaska}}. Showing that the engineers did not have a clue about the object of the mission. They did wonder why a {{w|gravity assist}} was planned to get there but guessed it was a more efficient method. Given that gravity assist is only relevant for interplanetary missions requiring a flyby of a planet it would never make sense to use to get between two destinations on Earth. Even though {{w|Cape Canaveral Air Force Station}} in Florida, from where the probe was launched, is about as long away from Juneau as it is possible to get inside the borders of the United States.

The mixup of Juno the Goddess and the capital city of Alaska could be a reference to the film ''{{w|Juno (film)|Juno}}'' where the title character is [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/quotes?item=qt0455671 named after the Goddess] as her father is into Roman mythology (although she calls her {{w|Zeus}} wife, Zeus being the equivalent of Jupiter in {{w|Greec mythology}}). Later a man introduced to her ask [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0467406/quotes?item=qt0455636 Like the city in Alaska?]

===NASA speaks first===

===Megan continues speaking===

The title text might also be continued discussion amongst the NASA representatives. After being shushed, Megan begins needling the spokeswoman about the huge error NASA made. The spokeswoman then admits to being confused about why the mission was so complicated.

:[At a NASA press conference stands a blonde woman behind a lectern with the NASA logo. To the left stands Megan to the right Cueball, both looking towards the blonde woman.]  

:Blonde woman: After traveling 1.7 billion miles, the ''Juno'' spacecraft reached Jupiter within one ''second'' of its scheduled arrival time.

:[A person off-panel to the left comments and all three turns towards the speaker.]  

:Blonde woman: Thank you.

:[All three look straight out as Megan comments on the praise.]  

:Blonde woman: ''Shhhh.''