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Galileo - Countdown to Ganymede 2

Galileo's orbital tour consists of 11 different elliptical orbits around Jupiter. Each orbit (except one) includes a close flyby and gravity assist of one of the Galilean moons (Ganymede, Callisto or Europa) near the inner (Jupiter) end of the orbit. Distant scientific encounters with additional satellites are scheduled for a number of orbits, and the spacecraft will observe Io at medium range on every orbit.

The second satellite flyby occurred on September 6, 1996 when Galileo flew by Ganymede by a mere 260 km (162 miles). This encounter is referred to as Ganymede 2 since it is on the second orbit of the 11 orbit tour. The Ganymede 2 enounter is also the closest flyby of any of Jupiter's moons during Galileo's two-year primary mission. Careful targeting allows each flyby to direct the spacecraft on to its next satellite encounter and the spacecraft's next orbit around Jupiter. During the orbital tour, Galileo will fly by Ganymede four times, Callisto three, and Europa three.

Galileo News

• Galileo Finds High-Altitude Ionosphere at Io! (October 23, 1996)
• Ganymede 2 Flyby Navigation Results
• Where's Galileo Right Now? (Updated every minute!)
  
• Galileo Status Reports
  

Galileo Events

• Ganymede 2 Flyby (September 6, 1996)
• Galileo WebChat (October 30, 1996)
• Galileo Photo Contest

Ganymede Information

• Ganymede Fact Sheet
  
• Ganymede 2 Quick-Look Orbit Facts
  
• Ganymede 2 Encounter Summary
  
• Ganymede 2 Timeline
  
• Galileo Image Guide
  
• Galileo SSI Planning Images
  

Ganymede Images

• Galileo Images from Ganymede 2 Flyby
• Galileo Images From Ganymede 1 Flyby
• Voyager 1 & 2 Images
• Hubble Space Telescope Images
• Pioneer 10 & 11 Images
• Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 & Ganymede

Europa Information & Images

• Europa Fact Sheet
• Galileo Images
• Voyager 1 & 2 Images
• Galileo Image Guide on Europa
• Hubble Space Telescope Images
• Pioneer 10 Images
• Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 & Europa

Callisto Information & Images

Amalthea Information & Images

• Amalthea Fact Sheet
• Galileo Images
• Voyager 1 & 2 Images

Having trouble running animations? Look here for information on how to setup your browser for animations.

• Animation of Jupiter's Great Red Spot
• Computer Simulation of the Galileo Flyby of Ganymede on September 6, 1996
  
  • MPEG - 1.5 MB, 640x480 resolution
  • MPEG - 634K, 320x200 resolution
  • Quicktime - 3.8 MB, 640x480 resolution
  • Quicktime - 1.9 MB, 320x200 resolution
• Another Computer Simulation of the Galileo Flyby of Ganymede on September 6, 1996
  
  • MPEG - 1.0 MB, 640x480 resolution
  • MPEG - 501K, 320x200 resolution
  • Quicktime - 2.1 MB, 640x480 resolution
  • Quicktime - 1.4 MB, 320x200 resolution
• Overhead View of the Galileo Flyby of Ganymede on September 6, 1996
  
  • MPEG - 917K , 640x480 resolution
  • MPEG - 529K, 320x200 resolution
  • Quicktime - 2.0 MB, 640x480 resolution
  • Quicktime - 1.4 MB, 320x200 resolution
• Voyager/Galileo Morph Animation (Quicktime - 846K)
  This animation changes from a Voyager image of Ganymede to a Galileo image of the same region of Ganymede. Animation courtesy of Colin Law from Rice University.
• Ganymede The Movie (AVI - 3.3MB)
  Impressive flyby over the surface of Ganymede - created from Voyager data.

Previous Galileo Countdown Pages

• Ganymede 1 (June 27, 1996).
• Jupiter Orbit Insertion (December 7, 1995).