Who was the space probe Galileo named after?

Who was the space probe Galileo named after?

astronomer Galileo Galilei
Then, just as the probe was readying for a space shuttle mission, Challenger exploded and killed seven astronauts in 1986, grounding the fleet for two years. Named for astronomer Galileo Galilei, the spacecraft launched at last on Oct. 18, 1989, from the payload bay of space shuttle Atlantis.

Is the Galileo probe still working?

The Galileo mission ended on Sept. 21, 2003, when the spacecraft was intentionally commanded to plunge into Jupiter’s atmosphere, where it was destroyed. However, to this day scientists continue to study the data it collected.

Is Galileo still orbiting Jupiter?

On Sept. 21, 2003, after 14 years in space, traveling 2.8 billion miles, and 8 years in orbit around Jupiter, having completed 35 orbits around the giant planet, Galileo fired its main engine for the final time.

What probe crashed into Jupiter?

Galileo
Space history: Galileo takes the plunge into Jupiter’s atmosphere. On Sept. 21, 2003, Galileo’s mission finally ended as it plummeted into Jupiter’s atmosphere.

What is named after Galileo?

Galileo, the European satellite navigation system, is named after the famous Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), paying tribute to his achievements not only in the field of astronomy but also navigation.

Why did Galileo probe crash into Jupiter?

At the end of its mission, Galileo lacked the fuel to escape the Jovian system so scientists decided to crash it into Jupiter to avoid contaminating any potential life on Europa, which is believed to have liquid water oceans under a thick sheet of ice.

What are the inventions of Galileo Galilei?

Celatone
Galileo’s micrometerGalileo’s proportional compassGalileo’s escapement
Galileo Galilei/Inventions

Why did NASA crash Galileo?

21, 2003, it was being deliberately destroyed to protect one of its own discoveries—a possible ocean beneath the icy crust of the moon Europa. The spacecraft was the first to fly past an asteroid, Gaspra, and the first to discover a moon of an asteroid, tiny Dactyl orbiting Ida.

What was the name of the spacecraft that Galileo was on?

During one of Galileo’s extended missions, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft swung by Jupiter in late 2000 on its way to Saturn. For a few weeks, both Cassini and Galileo were able to simultaneously observe the giant planet in a coordinated campaign.

What was the name of the NASA spacecraft that went to Jupiter?

NASA management designated the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) as the lead center for the Jupiter Orbiter Probe (JOP) project. The JOP would be the fifth spacecraft to visit Jupiter, but the first to orbit it, and the probe would be the first to enter its atmosphere.

When did the Galileo spacecraft leave the JPL?

On December 19, 1985, it departed the JPL in Pasadena, California, on the first leg of its journey, a road trip to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, the May launch date could not be met.

What was the name of the first asteroid discovered by Galileo?

Despite suffering major antenna problems, Galileo achieved the first asteroid flyby, of 951 Gaspra, and discovered the first asteroid moon, Dactyl, around 243 Ida. In 1994, Galileo observed Comet Shoemaker–Levy 9’s collision with Jupiter.