WASHINGTON –  Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) today issued the following statement in response to NASA’s Juno spacecraft successfully entering Jupiter’s orbit. Juno’s principal goal is to understand the origin and evolution of Jupiter.

Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas): “Juno continues NASA’s great heritage of exploration and discovery. Juno will take the highest resolution images of Jupiter in history and conduct important scientific measurements, including measuring how much water is in Jupiter’s atmosphere. Juno will shed light on the origin and evolution of Jupiter and our solar system. Juno’s scientific exploration of Jupiter expands the frontiers of knowledge and advances the peaceful exploration of outer space.

“Today, young people across the country are reading about Juno, looking at pictures of Jupiter, and are excited about one day exploring the cosmos themselves and making new discoveries.

“I congratulate NASA on a successful journey to Jupiter and look forward to the great discoveries that await.”