Galileo Mission Status - March 13, 1997
PUBLIC INFORMATION 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
Playback from the latest Europa encounter on February 20 is proceeding on schedule, returning data from Galileo's most recent pass close to Jupiter and its satellites. The data include observations of white oval atmospheric features taken by the spacecraft's near infrared mapping spectrometer and photopolarimeter-radiometer over a range of solar phase angles.
This week's data return will also include fields and particles instruments' high data rate recording as Galileo made its closest approach while flying through Jupiter's magnetic equator. Much of the plasma in Jupiter's inner magnetosphere is confined to the equatorial region and is whisked away to the outer boundaries of the magnetosphere through various processes. This data will help scientists understand more about those processes.
Other observations expected to be returned this week include chemical monitoring of volcanic hot spots on Io and a surface map from the Europa encounter. Ganymede observations to be returned are part of multi-orbit efforts to characterize the moon's surface and flesh out information obtained when the Voyager spacecraft flew by the Jovian system. New observations of the small moon Amalthea will be used to determine the body's global shape and morphology.
Last week's playback focused on Europa observations, the prime target of last month's flyby. During the approach to Europa, most of the satellite was illuminated by the Sun. This vantage point enabled Galileo to gather information on the icy moon's surface composition and shape, as well as crater feature observations which may offer clues to what lies underneath Europa's surface. Near infrared mapping spectrometer data included observations of a lineated region and icy regions of varying ages.
A previous magnetometer glitch on Galileo has been corrected, and it's now believed the failure was caused by radiation effects. Although there are indications that the same radiation-induced faults have occurred with the magnetometer and the spectrometer, in each case, a reloading procedure has corrected the problem.
An orbital trim maneuver will begin today to put Galileo on track for its next destination, Ganymede. The flyby occurs on April 4 (PST). Galileo has five additional encounters of Jupiter's moons scheduled during its two-year primary journey through the Jovian system.
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