Jupiter Odyssey
The story of NASA’s Galileo mission
David M Harland
Jupiter Odyssey tells the story of NASA’s Galileo mission. Although conceived in 1975, the Galileo spacecraft was not able to be launched until 1989. On its 6-year voyage
to Jupiter, it studied the Earth/Moon system and the planet Venus and returned the first close-up views of asteroids, one of which was found to possess a small companion. After releasing a probe to dive into Jupiter’s atmosphere, Galileo entered orbit around the giant planet and began a tour of its four large moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
David Harland concentrates on the discoveries made by the Galileo spacecraft, rather than on the politics of its protracted development, devoting particular attention to Jupiter’s ‘fire and ice’ moons. Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System, and there is growing evidence of an ocean beneath Europa’s icy surface, with the tantalising possibility that life may exist there.
"David Harland has written a most comprehensive, fast-paced story of Project Galileo. You will get a wonderful sense of the challenges and triumphs of this truly seminal Project."
Bill O’Neil, Galileo Project Manager, Primary Mission 1990 -1998<
Profusely illustrated, Jupiter Odyssey is an engaging account of this important mission of discovery.
Table of contents:
- List of Illustrations
- List of Tables
- Foreword
- Acknowledgements
- Author’s Preface
- Early days
- Reconnaissance
- Galileo’s ordeal
- An exploring Machine
- The long haul
- Target in sight
- Atmospheric probe
- The capture orbit
- Tectonic Ganymede
- Battered Callisto
- Euroean enigma
- Jupiter from orbit
- Moonlets and rings
- Fiery Io
- Passing the torch
- Facts and figures
- IAU nomenclature
- Glossary
- Notes and references
- Further reading and websites
- Index
Extent: 464 pages : Approx 200 illustrations
Binding: paperback
Publication Date: September 2000
ISBN: 978-1-85233-301-0
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