Galileo (spacecraft)

Galileo was an unmanned NASA spacecraft. It explored the planet Jupiter and its moons. Galileo was launched in 1989 and it arrived at Jupiter in 1995.

For the astronomer, see Galileo Galilei.
For the place in Israel, see Galilee.
Galileo
Artist's concept of Galileo at Io with Jupiter in the background; the high-gain antenna is fully deployed
NamesJupiter Orbiter Probe
Mission typeJupiter orbiter
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1989-084B
SATCAT no.20298
Websitesolarsystem.nasa.gov/galileo/
Mission duration
  • Planned: 8 years, 1 month, 19 days
  • In orbit: 7 years, 9 months, 13 days
  • Final: 13 years, 11 months, 3 days
Distance travelled4,631,778,000 km (2.88 billion mi)[1]
Spacecraft properties
Manufacturer
Launch mass
  • Total: 2,562 kg (5,648 lb)[2]
  • Orbiter: 2,223 kg (4,901 lb)[2]
  • Probe: 339 kg (747 lb)[2]
Dry mass
  • Orbiter: 1,884 kg (4,154 lb)[2]
  • Probe: 339 kg (747 lb)[2]
Payload mass
  • Orbiter: 118 kg (260 lb)[2]
  • Probe: 30 kg (66 lb)[2]
Power
  • Orbiter: 570 watts[2]
  • Probe: 730 watt-hours[2]
Start of mission
Launch dateOctober 18, 1989, 16:53:40 (1989-10-18UTC16:53:40) UTC[3]
RocketSpace Shuttle Atlantis
STS-34 / IUS
Launch siteKennedy LC-39B
Entered serviceDecember 8, 1995, 01:16 UTC SCET[4]
End of mission
DisposalControlled entry into Jupiter
Decay dateSeptember 21, 2003, 18:57:18 (2003-09-21UTC18:57:19) GMT SCET;
September 21, 2003, 19:49:36 (2003-09-21UTC19:49:37) GMT ERT[1]
Jupiter orbiter
Spacecraft componentOrbiter
Orbital insertionDecember 8, 1995, 01:16 UTC SCET[4]
Jupiter atmospheric probe
Spacecraft componentProbe
Atmospheric entryDecember 7, 1995, 22:04 UTC SCET[4]
Impact site06°05′N 04°04′W
at entry interface
NASA Flagship Program
 

Galileo was made up of two parts: an orbiter and a probe. The probe was released from the orbiter on July 13, 1995 and it went towards Jupiter.[5][6] It reached Jupiter on December 7, 1995 and went down into the atmosphere.[5][6] The probe gathered data for 57 minutes until the great atmospheric heat and pressure destroyed it.[5][6]

The orbiter went into orbit around the planet on December 8, 1995[5] and went down into Jupiter's atmosphere and was crushed on September 21, 2003.[7]

References
  1. "The Final Day on Galileo - Sunday, September 21, 2003". NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory via Spaceref.com. September 19, 2003. Retrieved December 18, 2016.
  2. "Galileo Jupiter Arrival" (PDF) (Press Kit). NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory. December 1995.
  3. Beyer, P. E.; O'Connor, R. C.; Mudgway, D. J. (May 15, 1992). "Galileo Early Cruise, Including Venus, First Earth, and Gaspra Encounters" (PDF). The Telecommunications and Data Acquisition Report. NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory: 265–281. TDA Progress Report 42-109.
  4. D'Amario, Louis A.; Bright, Larry E.; Wolf, Aron A. (May 1992). "Galileo Trajectory Design". Space Science Reviews. 60 (1–4): 23–78. Bibcode:1992SSRv...60...23D. doi:10.1007/BF00216849. S2CID 122388506.
  5. "NASA: Solar System Exploration: Missions: By Target: Jupiter: Past: Galileo". NASA. Archived from the original on 2012-10-06. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
  6. "Galileo". Encyclopædia Britannica Deluxe Edition. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2005.
  7. "NASA: Solar System Exploration: Galileo Legacy Site". NASA. Archived from the original on 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2011-03-29.
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