In this exciting story of the Galileo mission to investigate Jupiter, noted astronomer Daniel Fischer weaves together the many disparate facts learned about this most fascinating planet and its satellites. Fischer tells the entire story of Galileo: a behind-the-scenes look at its difficult course from idea to reality; its launch; the problems it encountered early on and how these were resolved; and finally, what will become of the probe. Along the way, the author describes what we have learned about Jupiter, including what the Jovian atmosphere is really like, and the peculiar reality of the planets magnetic field. The story of the journey to Jupiter is combined with interesting details about Galileos capacities and a graphic description of the solar system, with an episode on how Galileo would judge the chances of finding life on Earth. The book concludes with a look at the future, closing on the Cassini probe to Saturn. Beautifully illustrated and well written, Mission Jupiter shows us space exploration at its best and clearly and vividly conveys the essential science.

Focusing on the Galileo Mission, the story will relate this remarkable spacecraft's protracted gestation and the ordeal of its long haul out to Jupiter and its ultimate triumph: 5 years exploration within the Jovian system. The story spans a full quarter of a century, drawing on the press conferences, technical papers and essays of engineers and scientists involved in the mission which provide a real sense of participation as the discoveries poured in - it will bring the mission of the Galileo spacecraft to life and provide a more engaging account than would simply be achieved by recounting scientific results. The book will conclude with a snapshot "look ahead" into the Cassini flyby of Jupiter in December 2000 shortly after publication - the book released to coincide with this media event.

The Galileo mission to Jupiter explored an exciting new frontier, had a major impact on planetary science, and provided invaluable lessons for the design of spacecraft. This mission amassed so many scientific firsts and key discoveries that it can truly be called one of the most impressive feats of exploration of the 20th century. In the words of John Casani, the original project manager of the mission, "Galileo was a way of demonstrating . . . just what U.S. technology was capable of doing." An engineer on the Galileo team expressed more personal sentiments when she said, "I had never been a part of something with such great scope . . . . To know that the whole world was watching and hoping with us that this would work. We were doing something for all mankind." When Galileo lifted off from Kennedy Space Center on 18 October 1989, it began an interplanetary voyage that took it to Venus, to two asteroids, back to Earth, and finally on to Jupiter. The craft's instruments studied Jupiter's enormous magnetosphere and its belts of intense radiation. The spacecraft also sent off a planetary probe that accomplished the most difficult atmospheric entry ever attempted. After this, the craft spent years visiting Jupiter's moons and delving into their structures and properties. This book attempts to convey the creativity, leadership, and vision that were necessary for the mission's success. It is a book about dedicated people and their scientific and engineering achievements. The Galileo mission faced many significant problems. Some of the most brilliant accomplishments and "work-arounds" of the Galileo staff occurred precisely when these challenges arose. Throughout the mission, engineers and scientists found ways to keep the spacecraft operational from a distance of nearly half a billion miles, enabling one of the most impressive voyages of scientific discovery.

This is the only book solely about Jupiter's moon Io, the most volcanically active body in the solar system. Written by experts in the field, many of whom took part in the Galileo mission, the book reviews the basics about Io and its unique space environment. Coverage includes all subjects, where the Galilio mission has shed new light on, with some emphasis on Io's most remarkable characteristics: its active volcanism.

The articles in this volume are a document of the Galileo mission to Jupiter. The Mission Overview is the first article; the second is a description of the design of the very complex spacecraft trajectory in relation to the scientific objects. Subsequent articles describe the various investigations planned by the scientific groups. These are divided in three groups: the Probe, the Magnetospheric Experiments, and the Remote Sensing and Radio Investigations.

A valuable reference work for those doing research in magnetospheric physics and related disciplines.

The final orbit of Venus by the Magellan spacecraft in October 1994 brought to a close an exciting period of Venus reconnaissance and exploration. The scientific studies resulting from data collected by the Magellan, Galileo, and Pioneer missions are unprecedented in their detail for any planet except Earth. Venus II re-evaluates initial assessments of Venus in light of these and other spacecraft missions and ground-based observations conducted over the past 30 years. More than a hundred contributors summarize our current knowledge of the planet, consider points of disagreement in interpretation, and identify priorities for future research. Topics addressed include geology, surface processes, volcanism, tectonism, impact cratering, geodynamics, upper and lower atmospheres, and solar wind environment. The diversity of the coverage reflects the interdisciplinary nature of Venus science and the breadth of knowledge that has contributed to it. A CD-ROM developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory accompanies the book and incorporates text, graphics, video, software, and various digital products from selected contributors to the text. A multimedia interface allows users to navigate the text and the extensive databases included on the disk. Venus II is the most authoritative single volume available on the second planet. Its contents will not only help shape the goals of future Venus missions but will also enhance our understanding of current Mars explorations.

Complete color global maps and high-resolution mosaics of Jupiter's four large moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – are compiled for the first time in this important atlas. The satellites are revealed as four visually striking and geologically diverse planetary bodies: Io's volcanic lavas and plumes and towering mountains; Europa's fissured ice surface; the craters, fractures and polar caps of Ganymede; and the giant impact basins, desiccated plains and icy pinnacles of Callisto. Featuring images taken from the recent Galileo mission, this atlas is a comprehensive mapping reference guide for researchers. It contains 65 global and regional maps, nearly 250 high-resolution mosaics, and images taken at resolutions from 500 meters to as high as 6 meters.

From Voyager to Stardust, this complete guide to NASA's deep space probes features a DVD containing thousands of pictures and videos captured by the journeying probes. 250 photos, 100 in full color.

The very first book on space systems failures written from an engineering perspective. Focuses on the causes of the failures and discusses how the engineering knowledge base has been enhanced by the lessons learned. Discusses non-fatal anomalies which do not affect the ultimate success of a mission, but which are failures nevertheless. Describes engineering aspects of the spacecraft, making this a valuable complementary reference work to conventional engineering texts.