Galileo Europa Mission (GEM)
Fact Sheet

Description

The Galileo Europa Mission (GEM) is a highly focused follow-on to Galileo's Jupiter system exploration and a precursor for future missions to Europa and Io. GEM will conduct a detailed study of Europa over 14 months, then plunge repeatedly through the Io Plasma Torus to reach volcanic Io.

Major Science Objectives

Europa
Study and characterize crust, atmosphere, and possible ocean (i.e. implication for exobiology) using imaging, gravity and space physics data.
Io Plasma Torus
Explore and map Io Plasma Torus as orbit approaches Io.
Io
Intesive study of Io's volcanic processes, atmosphere and magnetospheric environment

Mission

The GEM has three phases:

Europa Campaign
A one year intensive study of Europa comprised of 8 consecutive close encounters, with extensive remote sensing and fields and particles science data gathering at each (except for one near solar conjuction)
Perijove Reduction Campaign
Four Callisto encounters rapidly lower the spacecraft's orbit to Io
Io Encounter
Close flyby of Io in October 1999 with the possibility of a second flyby 6 weeks later if the spacecraft is still alive.

Programmatics

NASA/JPL and the science community are currently working to support proposed GEM operations beginning in fiscal year 1998.
2 year mission, ending December 1999.

Characteristics

Streamlined, low cost operations.
About 1000 satellite images plus infrared and ultraviolet spectroscopy; GEM will increase our database of high resolution Europa images by 7x.
Unique Europa image opportunities:
- Stereo for topography
- <<50 meter imaging resolution, 100 meter - 2 kilometer spectral
- Polar regions
High-resolution imaging of Io
In-situ sampling of Europa and Io atmospheres
Io Plasma Torus characterization including satellite/magnetosphere interactions.

Science Instruments/Investigators

	Instrument	Investigator/Team Leader	Objectives
Remote Sensing (Despun)	SSI	Michael Belton National Optical Astronomy Observatories	Galilean satellites, high resolution, atmospheric small-scale dynamics
	NIMS	Robert Carlson Jet Propulson Lab	Surface/atmospheric composition thermal mapping
	PPR	James Hansen Goddard Institute for Space Studies	Atmospheric particles, thermal/reflected radiation
	UVS/EUV (spinning)	Charles Hord University of Colorado	Atmospheric gases, aerosols, etc.
Fields and Particles (Spinning)	MAG	Margaret Kivelson UCLA	Strength and fluctuations of magnetic fields
	EPD	Donald Williams John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory	Electrons, protons, heavy ions
	PLS	Lou Frank University of Iowa	Composition, energy, distribution of ions
	PWS	Donald Gurnett University of Iowa	Electromagnetic waves and wave particle interactions
	DDS	Eberhard Grun Max Planck Institut fur Kernphysik	Mass, velocity, charge of submicrometer particles
Engineering Experiment	HIC	Edward Stone California Institute of Technology	Spacecraft charged-particle environment
Radio Science	Celestial Mechanics	John Anderson Jet Propulsion Laboratory	Masses and internal structures of bodies from spacecraft tracking
Radio Science	Propogation	H. Taylor Howard Stanford University	Jupiter/Satellite radii and atmospheric structure from radio propagation

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