CleverStoic

[deleted]

There's no stupid question. At the time of the mission (2011), NASA engineers had to choose the best available equipment. Unlike the consumer digital market, there are a number of factors that must be considered when choosing equipment for a mission into space. Reliability under stable conditions and duress (radiation), power consumption, physical space and weight consumed, and the contracts NASA/JPL hold with vendors. Maybe in the future you'll be able to take a trip around Jupiter with the scientific knowledge gained from this mission!

It's a Kodak CCD

Edit: KODAK KAI-2020, 2MP, the 11th time NASA has chosen to use Kodak.

Specifically, it's the radiation that is incurred from closer orbit usage of the instruments on board. The radioactivity level increases at an exponential rate, proportionally related to the amount of time that Juno spends close to the planet. Since the orbit is stable (I'm assuming), that leads to the finite nature of the project based upon the orbital trajectory Juno follows in order for NASA to conduct their science. =)

There are several documented instances of large objects colliding with Jupiter's atmosphere, as with meteorites on earth or innumerable other celestial bodies. Is there any specific contingency to study an impact if one should happen during Juno's mission? What is the "wildest" contingency plan that you have in your playbook?