Jupiter-bound craft snaps pic of Earth and moon

[September 01, 2011]  PASADENA, Calif. (AP) -- Earth, say cheese.

A NASA spacecraft cruising toward Jupiter glanced back and snapped a rare picture of Earth and the moon. Taken last week when Juno was 6 million miles away, the image shows two white dots, one brighter than the other.

The solar-powered Juno blasted off earlier this month on a five-year journey to Jupiter. Though previous craft have visited the giant gas planet, Juno will get closer than ever before, flying within 3,100 miles of the dense cloud tops to learn more about Jupiter's origins.

The $1.1 billion mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.

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Online:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

[Associated Press]

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