Jupiter odyssey : the story of NASA's Galileo mission /

The Galileo spacecraft, launched in 1989, has been orbiting Jupiter since 1995. Harland (formerly, Univ. of Strathclyde, UK) tells of the stunning successes of Galileo and the ability of mission scientists to overcome significant obstacles. The major technical problem was the failure to open a high-gain antenna, but the scientific objectives were met by using another antenna and reprogramming. To reach Jupiter, Galileo used a series of gravity assists and encounters with Venus, Earth (twice), and the asteroids Gaspra and Ida. Galileo's scientific accomplishments prior to the Jupiter orbit are impressive and include the discovery of the first confirmed asteroid moon, Dactyl, which orbits Ida. Once the space probe reached Jupiter, it measured the direct impacts of the comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 with Jupiter's atmosphere, another sensational first. However, the most spectacular results come from observations and measurement of Jupiter's moons. Studies of Io have yielded new information about this moon, the most actively volcanic member of our solar system. Data from Galileo also suggest that the largest moon Ganymede may have liquid water under its surface. Of course, much attention has been focused on moon Europa, which may have a large ocean under its icy surface, with microbial life possible there. Lavishly illustrated; references to Web sites. General readers; undergraduates; faculty. J. Z. Kiss Miami University