Imagine if you could peel Jupiter's clouds like an orange, lay them flat, then watch them move.

That's what NASA researchers have done with the latest images from the Cassini spacecraft, creating the mission's first color movie of the giant planet.

The 24 frames show what Jupiter's entire globe would look like if stretched out into a rectangular map. Orange and white stripes, representing different bands of clouds, slide against one another, while the planet's famed oval storms jiggle and swirl.

Meanwhile, mission specialists said Thursday that Cassini has been working properly since a malfunctioning maneuvering device was turned back on Dec. 21.

"Everything has been working smoothly, so we're planning to send up commands today [Thursday] to resume all scientific observations," said Bob Mitchell, Cassini program manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

On Dec. 30, Cassini will make its closest pass to Jupiter -- about 6 million miles (9.7 million kilometers). The spacecraft will rob an imperceptible amount of orbital energy from the planet, using it to slingshot itself toward Saturn. Cassini is scheduled to arrive at the ringed planet in July 2004.

Cassini scientists have released a flurry of pictures recently, depicting some of Jupiter's largest moons orbiting the planet.