Galileo Mission Status - Novmeber 3, 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
NASA's Galileo spacecraft completed its playback yesterday of data from its most recent encounter with Jupiter's moon Callisto. Data returned included observations of a crater region named Tindr, a long chain of craters named Gipul, and other regions characterized by small ringlike areas. In addition, there were observations of Jupiter's auroral regions and areas believed to contain lightning.
Galileo successfully performed an orbit trim maneuver last Wednesday, and the encounter sequence is now underway for the upcoming Europa flyby, scheduled for Thursday, November 6. The spacecraft will make its closest pass for this orbit Thursday at 12:32 p.m. PST, at an altitude of 2,042 kilometers (1,269 miles) above Europa, with the signal reaching Earth at 1:13 p.m. PST.
Observations are planned of the areas where rafting, or apparent splitting of ice, has occurred on Europa's surface. In addition, Galileo will observe the icy satellite's triple bands and bright plains, as well as the Pwyll and Mannann'an craters. Jupiter observations will include areas of possible lightning, and the planet's mysterious brown barges, areas of unique color first observed by the Voyagers, but since then modified in appearance. Planned Io observations include volcanic plumes as they appear over the moon's limb and are highlighted against a dark sky. Additional images will be taken of four of Jupiter's minor satellites-- Thebe, Amalthea, Adrastea and Metis.
Although this upcoming Europa flyby will mark the final satellite encounter of Galileo's primary mission, the mission has been extended for an additional two years. The continuation is called the Galileo Europa Mission, and will include eight additional Europa flybys, four Callisto flybys and in 1999, one or two close flybys of Io, depending on spacecraft health.
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