NASA Planetary Science Division Director Jim Green (left) and other key science officials celebrate Juno’s orbital insertion on Monday night. (credit: NASA)

Carlos Entrena, one of the bright young minds in aerospace, asked a fair question last week in the wake of the Juno mission’s successful insertion into orbit around Jupiter: “So why is a spacecraft doing a pre-planned burn a big deal again?” He was right, it did seem a relatively straightforward maneuver.

Another young scientist, Christopher Stelter, offered a series of answers that put the Juno spacecraft’s 35-minute engine burn into perspective. Among the reasons, he said, was that, “Most burns a spacecraft does are not critical. If there’s a glitch, you can try again later. Not this time. And it’s a very long burn.”

This exchange captured my attention because NASA in recent years has made the extremely difficult—flying robotic probes throughout the Solar System—look easy. The agency’s record of achievement appears more impressive still when compared to other space agencies. In reality, no other country or space agency can really be considered NASA’s peer, especially when it comes to Mars and beyond. (Admittedly, the Soviet Union does have a better record with Venus).