Galileo
Galileo is a NASA spacecraft mission to
Jupiter, launched October 18, 1989, and designed to study the planet's atmosphere, and its satellites in 1995-1997. It was named for the Italian scientist who discovered Jupiter's major moons in 1610 with the first astronomical telescope.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory designed and developed the Galileo Jupiter orbiter spacecraft and is operating the mission. NASA's Ames Research Center developed the atmospheric probe with Hughes Aircraft Company as prime contractor. Scientists from six nations participated in the mission. The Galileo spacecraft was carried into Earth orbit on October 18, 1989, by space shuttle Atlantis. The two-stage IUS solid rocket accelerated the spacecraft out of Earth orbit toward the planet Venus. The spacecraft dipped into the gravitational fields of
Venus (closest approach on February 10, 1990) and
Earth to pick up enough velocity to get to Jupiter.
The 2,223-kilogram (2.5-ton) Galileo orbiter spacecraft carried 10 scientific instruments; there are another six on 339-kilogram (746-pound) probe. Galileo communicated with its controllers and scientists through the Deep Space Network, using tracking stations in the United States and Europe.
Astronautics faculty Dr. Jerry Hintz was Manager of the Development of the flight path control software for use in flight operations and Development Engineer for Navigation for the spacecraft. Dr. Donald Shemansky was co-investigator in studies of chemical and radiative processes in Jupiter and Io atmospheres.
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Jupiter and its four largest satellites, Io,
Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto (Jupiter has
59 more known satellites (moons)).
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South America by Galileo.
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