NASA’s JunoCam, once believed nearly lost to Jupiter’s intense radiation, has made a stunning comeback thanks to a bold experiment. Engineers used a process called annealing—heating the camera from afar—to reverse internal damage and restore image clarity. Just in time for a close flyby of the volcanic moon Io, the camera delivered detailed images of lava flows and sulfuric peaks. The breakthrough technique is now being applied to other instruments on Juno and could shape future spacecraft built for radiation-heavy environments around Earth and beyond.
