Galileo Europa Mission Status
November 3, 1998
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
The Galileo spacecraft is operating normally as it continues to transmit to Earth pictures and science information stored on its onboard tape recorder during the September 26 Europa flyby. Playback will be interrupted on Thursday for a standard gyroscope test.
A dozen observations will be transmitted this week, half of them containing Europa data, with the other half providing information on Jupiter and its rings. The Europa observations include a mosaic of images taken by the spacecraft camera, showing several terrain types that scientists believe provide the best evidence yet for the existence of a liquid ocean under Europa's surface. The camera and the near infrared mapping spectrometer return three observations of Jupiter's newest white oval, a swirling storm system formed earlier this year when two smaller storms merged. Two images display Jupiter's rings under varying lighting conditions. This will help scientists better determine the size and quantity of the particles contained in the rings.
The next Europa flyby is scheduled for November 22.
The Galileo Europa Mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
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