I heard one NASA dude explain that this mission is tasked with study of the cis-Jovian environment, and has instruments aboard to examine radiation, particle fluxes and the magnetic environment, all in an effort to investigate the planet's internal structure and its evolution, as well as its effect on the solar system as a whole. The imager was added on as an afterthought, primarily to provide the public with something they could easily understand: the aesthetic impact of pretty pictures.

I don't mean to either exagerrate or belittle this public purpose, or to criticize mission planners for thinking this way. I understand enough of the physics involved to realize that imagery, regardless of how spectacular, can only give a limited idea of the physical processes going on below the cloud tops. But I also realize we apes are primarily visual creatures, and a picture can convey so much information, and beyond that, understanding, of what is going on. This is especially the case with modern spacecraft imagery, which exploits wavelengths of light and post-processing techniques which can reveal so much not noticeable to the unaided eye. We may even see something totally unexpected, maybe something wonderful.

My interest in astronomy has taught me the value of spectroscopy, photometry, bolometric analysis and x-ray, radio, gamma-ray, IR and UV studies. But for sheer drama and beauty, and eventually, scientific insight, CCD detectors and the photographic emulsion still are hard to beat. Jupiter has no geomorphology like Pluto or Ceres, but even the shifting patterns of the cloud tops have something to teach us. I can't wait.