Europa Timeline

All times are SCET (Spacecraft Event Time) in PST (PST = UTC - 8 hours). Take a look at the Galileo Acronyms List for explanations of the acronyms used in this timeline.

EVENT                                       DATE      TIME (PST/SCET)

Start Encounter                             14 Dec 96    16:00
End last Europa-4 Io torus obs. (UVS)       15           02:19
OTM-16                                                   18:30
Jupiter auroral map (UVS)                   16           02:00
First hot spot observation (PPR)            17           06:48
Io eclipse ingress observation (NIMS)                    11:09
Io eclipse thermal observation (SSI)                     11:46 
Io eclipse egress observation (NIMS)                     13:27
Amalthea imaging (SSI)                                   23:13
Thebe imaging (SSI)                         18           00:10
Europa global observation (PPR)                          11:55
Io C/A (range = 321000km)                                13:37
Europa global mosaic (NIMS)                              17:19
Jupiter C/A (range = 655000km)                           19:22
Adrastea imaging (SSI)                                   19:30
Europa maculae region (SSI)                              19:40
Europa wake crossing recording (F&P)                     22:20
Europa Double Line area (NIMS)                           22:27
Start Solar occultation by Europa                        22:51
Start Earth occultation by Europa
Europa C/A (range = 2270 km)                             22:53
End Solar occultation by Europa                          23:08
End Earth occultation by Europa                          23:09
Ganymede C/A (range = 792000 km)            19           12:12
Science Turn (high-phase Jupiter)                        20:00
First high-phase Jupiter observation (SSI)               22:34
Callisto C/A (range = 1490000km)                         05:32
Last high-phase Jupiter observation (NIMS)               08:50
Last hot spot observation (UVS)                          08:53
Jupiter rings observation (NIMS)                         09:11
Turn to return to Earth point                            10:23
Himalia observation (UVS)                                21:57
Atmospheric profile during occultation (RS) 21           08:17
Start Earth occultation by Jupiter                       09:43
End Europa-4 real-time survey (F&P)                      11:00
End Earth occultation by Jupiter                         16:37
Start Solar occultation by Jupiter                       18:52
End Solar occultation by Jupter             22           02:52
Start Playback                                           05:00
OTM-17                                      23           01:45
Turn for attitude maintenance               26           12:38
OTM-18                                      04 Jan 1997  06:30
Turn for attitude maintenance               08           06:53
Start Solar conjunction*                    10           14:14
End Solar conjunction                       28           07:09
OTM-19                                      06 Feb       05:00
First Europa-6 approach OPNAV               09           17:00
Turn for attitude maintenance               10           10:38
Last Europa-6 approach OPNAV                15           22:49
End Playback                                16           16:00


*   Solar conjunction contains a phasing orbit fly through the Jovian system. 
      Refer to Jupiter - Orbit 5 supplement.
**  Closest approach distances are with respect to the center 
      of the target body.
*** Due to anomaly, PPR will be observing in only one filter.
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