Today on Galileo

July 2, 1999

Galileo's Encounter Activities Wind Down

Encounter activities begin to wind down today as the spacecraft moves away from the heart of the Jupiter system and prepares for cruise operations and playback of pictures and other science information stored on the spacecraft's onboard tape recorder. Today's science observing focuses on the volcanic moon Io. There is also a single observation of Jupiter on the schedule.

In the first of today's observations, the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer continues to collect data showing Io's surface at high spectral resolution, and the best spatial resolution of the Galileo Europa Mission, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) per picture element. The spectral information will allow scientists to identify different materials on Io's surface, while the spatial information will help them determine where these materials lie.

The Solid-State Imaging begins its Io observations by obtaining a series of images that will yield stereo images when combined with images expected to be taken later this year. These two image sets will be combined to produce stereo views at a resolution of 1.4 kilometers (0.87 miles) per picture element. The camera's next set of observations is part of a campaign to monitor Io's plume activity in preparation for two close flybys of Io later this year. These observations will also allow scientists to compare Io's volcanic activity with magnetosphere measurements made by the Fields and Particles instruments.

The camera's plume monitoring observations are interrupted by two other observations, one of Io and one of Jupiter. The Io observation is performed by the Photopolarimeter Radiometer and is the third in a series designed to obtain data on Io's surface temperatures. The observation will be used to characterize relatively large regions of the surface whose temperatures are slightly higher than their surroundings. In addition, it will provide insight into how well different regions of the surface retain heat.

The Jupiter observation is performed by the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer and is designed to obtain spectral data of Jupiter's atmosphere. The data will allow scientists to advance ongoing studies of atmospheric structure, particle size distribution, cloud density, and temperature and composition of atmospheric constituents.

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

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Last updated: July 2, 1999

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