This Week on Galileo

May 24-30, 1999

Galileo Continues Playing Back Pictures and Scientific Data

This week Galileo continues to play back images and other science data stored on the spacecraft's onboard tape recorder. This week's playback includes information obtained by the Fields and Particles instruments and the solid-state imaging camera during the spacecraft's encounter with the Jupiter system earlier this month. Playback is interrupted twice this week to perform standard maintenance activities. On Thursday, maintenance is performed on the propulsion systems, and, on Sunday, it is performed on the tape recorder.

During the first part of the week, the Fields and Particles instruments continue to return data from a two hour observation performed as Galileo passed through the Io torus. The observation contains information on the plasma and magnetic and electric fields in this region of space, a region of intense activity. The Io torus is constantly replenished by the volcanic activity on Io, and is a key factor in the dynamics of the Jovian magnetosphere.

For the remainder of the week, the solid-state imaging camera returns a series of observations containing information on the cloud dynamics of Jupiter's atmosphere. The information will help scientists understand these dynamics in three dimensions, with high spatial and time resolution. Most of this week's observations consist of images of equatorial waves, but also included are observations of a high speed jet and sections of clouds in the north and south equatorial belts.

As a side note, Galileo uses a spacecraft clock with units of "RIMs" with each RIM corresponding to 60 and 2/3 seconds. Galileo marked the RIM counter hitting the five million mark last week, on May 20, 1999.

For more information on the Galileo spacecraft and its mission to Jupiter, please visit the Galileo home page.

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Last updated: May 24, 1999

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