What was launched in 1989 to provide information about jupiter

It's not clear if the solar system shares all of the same "life history" characteristics of other solar systems. For example, some Jupiter-sized extrasolar planets are very close to their parent star, and as such as are called "hot Jupiters. Four spacecraft had flown by the giant planet before — Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 , and Voyager 1 and Voyager 2.

Pioneer 10, when it zoomed by the planet in , discovered Jupiter's radiation was far less than scientists had anticipated. This made a long-term mission to Jupiter more feasible, since the spacecraft wouldn't need to be as heavily shielded making it more expensive to launch. NASA was intrigued by the thought of a Jupiter mission, but the idea went through years of budgetary discussions and management changes, as well as machinations in Congress.

By , NASA was far enough in its planning to propose a "Jupiter orbiting probe" in its budget, but the idea was thrown out by a congressional appropriations subcommittee with oversight of the agency. That decision was reversed after a massive lobbying effort by the scientific community, and Congress approved the project later that year.

It would take another 12 years to get Galileo off the ground. There were continual government funding threats to the mission and even the existence of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory , where it was being built. Debates also arose about Galileo's planned launch vehicle. Then, just as the probe was readying for a space shuttle mission, Challenger exploded and killed seven astronauts in , grounding the fleet for two years. Named for astronomer Galileo Galilei , the spacecraft launched at last on Oct.

To save on fuel, the probe whipped by Venus once and Earth twice to pick up speed, with the aim to reach Jupiter in Operating missions for the long duration can be a marathon for both humans and spacecraft alike.

As components on the spacecraft break down, it's up to the people on the ground to figure out how to resurrect them — or do without them. Galileo's most prominent failures were a high-gain antenna that failed to open — threatening the transmissions of data back to Earth — and a data tape recorder that temporarily jammed during the final approach to Jupiter.

The sticky antenna, shaped somewhat like an umbrella, lay stowed on the spacecraft for nearly two years after launch. NASA determined it might be risky to set it free when Galileo was closer to the sun during its gravity assist by Venus.

On April 11, , controllers sent a command for Galileo to unfurl the antenna. The motors ran for eight minutes at higher power levels than expected, which indicated there might be a problem. The spacecraft then failed to send a signal to Earth saying the antenna had opened.

A fault analysis determined that some of the antenna's "ribs" got stuck. The mission's main goals are to find clues about Jupiter's formation and evolution, as well as to explore the planet's deep atmosphere.

Juno will also shed light on Jupiter's internal structure and rotation, determine how vast its magnetic field is, and how features in the atmosphere relate to the movements in the planet's interior. Already, Juno has revealed that Jupiter's magnetic fields and aurora are bigger and more powerful than originally thought and that the distinctive bands of the planet's cloud tops extend deep into the planet's interior.

ESA uses cookies to track visits to our website only, no personal information is collected. By continuing to use the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. OK Find out more about our cookie policy. Toggle navigation Toggle navigation.

Toggle mission navigation. Missions Show All Missions. Asset Publisher Missions to Jupiter. Missions to Jupiter. Images And Videos. Related Publications. The incredible heat and pressure of Jupiter's inner atmosphere eventually destroyed the probe. Fourteen orbits focused specifically on the ice of the moon Europa, and the volcanic activity on the moon Io.

These observations led some to believe that there may be a liquid ocean beneath Europa's icy crust. Galileo's exploration of Io, Jupiter's innermost moon, was saved for last. The spacecraft was able to make it through the intensity of Jupiter's radiation output, finally sending word of an erupting lava fountain on Io and adding Io to the list of geologically active bodies in our solar system.

Galileo Launch click to enlarge.