Galileo Status Report
PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
The Galileo flight team reports that the orbiter spacecraft has successfully started firing its onboard rocket to brake into Jupiter's orbit.
Galileo engineers said the burn of Galileo's 400-Newton engine started as planned at 5:20 p.m. PST. The engine is due to shut down after a 49- minute burn at 6:08 p.m. PST.
Communications with the spacecraft will temporarily drop out when the burn is finished. This is normal and is due to the Doppler change in the radio signal caused by the cessation of the burn. Communications will be reestablished shortly after completion of the burn.