Galileo's Close-Look Images Of Jupiter's Moon Io To Be Available On Web

August 26, 1999

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

INTERNET ADVISORY				August 26, 1999

GALILEO'S CLOSE-LOOK IMAGES OF JUPITER'S MOON IO AVAILABLE ON WEB

The closest pictures ever taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io will be unveiled Friday, August 27, at 8 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time, at the following Internet addresses:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

The images are in true color (as they would appear to the naked eye) and in enhanced false color. They reveal a patchwork of pastels, punctuated by areas of black, brown, green, orange and red, near Io's active volcanic centers. The pictures were taken on July 3, 1999, as Galileo passed closer to Io than it has since it >entered orbit around Jupiter in December 1995.

The spacecraft is continuing to lower its orbit toward Io, the most volcanic body in our solar system, in preparation for two closer flybys of Io in October and November. The upcoming flybys are expected to yield images of unprecedented clarity and detail. The radiation belts of Jupiter are very intense at Io's distance from the huge planet, and this can disrupt spacecraft functioning. To insure that Galileo will be able to perform science observations from this unique vantage point, the Galileo flight team is preparing contingency plans to protect against radiation-related problems.

Galileo has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons since December 1995. Its primary mission ended in December 1997, but the spacecraft is currently in the midst of a two-year extended mission.

More information about the Galileo mission is available at:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/

JPL manages Galileo for NASA' s Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.

Return to Project Galileo Homepage

For questions about content, please contact:
Ask Galileo

Comments and suggestions about this website may be directed to
gllbug@jplpio.jpl.nasa.gov
Last updated: August 26, 1999

NASA/JPL Logo