Galileo ends mission with Jupiter plunge
Posted: Sun, Sep 21, 2003, 10:09 PM ET (0209 GMT)
NASA's Galileo spacecraft ended its mission Sunday with a final plunge into Jupiter's atmosphere, bringing to an end a journey that started 14 years ago. The last signals from Galileo arrived at Earth at 3:43 pm EDT (1943 GMT), with the spacecraft breaking up and vaporizing in the planet's atmosphere shortly thereafter. The spacecraft wrapped up its science shortly before final contact, when its star scanner looked towards the inner moon Amalthea, looking for evidence of rocky debris that may exist in the vicinity of the small moon. Galileo was launched in 1989 and entered orbit around Jupiter in 1995. It completed its primary mission in 1997 and then embarked on a series of extended missions that concluded Sunday. The spacecraft was deliberately targeted for Jupiter since its maneuvering propellant had nearly run out and NASA was concerned that the spacecraft might, at some point in the future, collide with the moon Europa. That moon is thought to have a subsurface ocean of liquid water that could support life, and scientists were concerned that terrestrial bacteria that could have survived Galileo's extended journey might contaminate the moon.
NASA's Galileo spacecraft ended its mission Sunday with a final plunge into Jupiter's atmosphere, bringing to an end a journey that started 14 years ago. The last signals from Galileo arrived at Earth at 3:43 pm EDT (1943 GMT), with the spacecraft breaking up and vaporizing in the planet's atmosphere shortly thereafter. The spacecraft wrapped up its science shortly before final contact, when its star scanner looked towards the inner moon Amalthea, looking for evidence of rocky debris that may exist in the vicinity of the small moon. Galileo was launched in 1989 and entered orbit around Jupiter in 1995. It completed its primary mission in 1997 and then embarked on a series of extended missions that concluded Sunday. The spacecraft was deliberately targeted for Jupiter since its maneuvering propellant had nearly run out and NASA was concerned that the spacecraft might, at some point in the future, collide with the moon Europa. That moon is thought to have a subsurface ocean of liquid water that could support life, and scientists were concerned that terrestrial bacteria that could have survived Galileo's extended journey might contaminate the moon.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
NASA to launch Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope in September
Posted: Sat, Apr 25 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, April 28
DOD budget proposes new $250 million space operations center on Schriever
Colorado Springs Gazette — 4:58 am ET (0858 GMT) US Picks Companies for Golden Dome Weapon That Might Not Be Affordable
Business Insider — 4:58 am ET (0858 GMT) S. Korea nears completion of five-satellite network to monitor North Korea
Korea Herald — 4:57 am ET (0857 GMT) Atlas V rocket successfully launches Amazon satellites from Cape Canaveral
WESH-TV Orlando — 4:55 am ET (0855 GMT) SpaceX Details Bumps To Starship V3 First Flight
Aviation Week — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT) |
