Double Takes Back
Journey to Jupiter
 
  Lift Off
 
On October 18, 1989, the space shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. On board was some very special cargo - the Galileo spacecraft. Galileo was going to be launched on a mission to study Jupiter and some of its many moons. Once the space shuttle was in orbit around Earth, Galileo was moved out of the cargo bay and sent on its six-year journey to Jupiter.
   To get up enough speed, the spacecraft used the "slingshot effect," just like Voyager II. You can read about this on pages 4 and 5 of your book, "Voyage to the Giants."

Galileo didn't fly in a straight line to Jupiter. It traveled on a spiral-shaped path.
  Atlantis shuttle launch  
Galileo spacecraft
  Flybys


Galileo flew past Venus on February 10, 1990. Then it began to turn around to fly back toward Earth. It passed close to Earth on December 8, 1990. It took more than a thousand photographs of our planet as it went by.

Next, Galileo passed the asteroid named Gaspra and turned to fly back past Earth one more time. It passed by Earth again on December 8, 1992.

Now Galileo was going fast enough to head out into our solar system and toward Jupiter. On the way, it flew close to another asteroid named Ida. Photographs showed that this small asteroid had an even smaller moon orbiting it. Scientists have named this moon Dactyl.
 
 
Launch-Earth-October 18,1989
1-Venus-February 10, 1990
2-Earth-December 8, 1990
3-Gaspra-October 29,1991
4-Earth-December 8,1992
5-Ida-August 28, 1993
6-Jupiter-December 7, 1995
Galileo flight path
Roll over image showing the flight path of Galileo from Earth to Jupiter: LAUNCH-Earth; 1-Venus; 2-Earth; 3-Gaspra; 4-Earth; 5-Ida; 6-Jupiter

To view an animation of
the flight path, click the
button below. (120k file)
Flyby Animation
 
  Arrival
 
Galileo arrived at Jupiter on December 7, 1995. It began sending back information and amazing photographs to mission control on Earth. Galileo also sent a tiny spacecraft (called a probe) to the surface of Jupiter. Galileo's probe will find out more about this planet. Galileo will send valuable information to scientists for a long time to come.
   Close-up of Jupiter's red spot  
Photos of Jupiter
The surface of Jupiter
 
  Mission firsts

Galileo did a lot of things that no
other spacecraft had done.

 First flyby of an asteroid

First discovery of an asteroid's moon

First probe to land on Jupiter

First spacecraft to orbit Jupiter		  
 
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