Galileo at Jupiter: Exploring the Jovian System

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
San Gabriel Valley Section
January Section Dinner Meeting

Galileo at Jupiter: Exploring the Jovian System

Robert Mitchell

Galileo Project Manager, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Thursday, January 15, 6:00 PM

Peppermill Restaurant - 795 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA

$17 for AIAA Members ($20 without reservations or membership)
Non-Member are encouraged to attend!
For reservations or information, please contact
the AIAA Western Office at (800) 683-AIAA

This presentation will provide an overview of the Galileo Project from its launch in 1989 through the successful completion of its primary mission in December 1997. The key scientific discoveries and some surprising results will be covered. Now that the primary mission is complete and the spacecraft continues to function very well, the project is embarking on an extension of the original mission with a special focus on the Jovian moon Europa. Plans for this mission will be presented.

Biographical Sketch - Robert Mitchell

Bob Mitchell is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, and has masters' degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics. Since joining JPL in 1965, he has worked on trajectory design, mission design, and navigation for planetary exploration projects such as Mariner '67, Mariner '69, Mariner '71, the Viking mission to Mars, and Galileo. As the Galileo mission design manager from 1979 to 1988, Bob led the development of numerous redesigns of the mission when the launch date slipped from January 1982 to October 1989. He led the NASA-honored team that developed the innovative Venus-Earth-Earth Gravity Assist (VEEGA) trajectory to give the spacecraft the velocity boost it needed to reach Jupiter. Bob also received the NASA Exceptional Acheivement Awards for his work on Viking navigation and Galileo mission design. From 1988 to 1993, he was Manager of JPL's Mission Design section. Early in 1993, he returned to the Galileo project in the role of manager of the Galileo science and sequence office. For the past year, he has been the Galileo Mission Director, and currently is the Project Manager.

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