"Galileo" - the first device, which went into the orbit of Jupiter and touched its atmosphere

Photos of the four largest satellites of Jupiter, made by "Galileo"

Twenty years ago, the Galileo automatic spacecraft was the first to go into Jupiter’s orbit and launch a probe into its atmosphere. The device was launched in 1989, and its mission ended in September 2003, after 14 years of flight and 8 years of research of the Jupiter system.

The device was named in honor of Galileo Galilei, Italian physicist, mechanic, astronomer, philosopher and mathematician. He was the first to use a telescope to observe celestial bodies, made a number of outstanding astronomical discoveries, and in particular discovered four Jupiter satellites in 1610.
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In the 1970s, Pioneer-10 and Pioneer-11 unmanned aerial vehicles were flying past Jupiter. However, none of these devices did not go into the orbit of the largest planet of our solar system. After that, the study of Jupiter became a priority for American scientists, and they began to develop a new apparatus in 1977, while the missions of the first and second Voyagers were still preparing for the launch.

Initially, Galileo was supposed to be launched back in 1984 - but the launch was repeatedly postponed for various reasons, in one case because of the problems that followed the Challenger disaster.

Finally, Galileo successfully launched in October 1989. On his way to Jupiter, he flew past Venus and several asteroids, one of whom even discovered a natural satellite. In 1994, he observed and photographed how the debris of comet Shoemaker-Levy crashed into Jupiter.

On December 8, 1995, “Galileo” entered the orbit of Jupiter, and on December 9, the probe, separated from the device six months earlier, entered the atmosphere of the planet. For 8 years, he made 35 revolutions around Jupiter.

Thanks to a successful mission, scientists have collected a vast array of data about our giant neighbor. In particular, "Galileo":

• first recorded ammonia clouds in the atmosphere of another planet
• confirmed the presence of volcanic activity on Io
• discovered that the currents arising from the plasma in the atmosphere of Io are related to the currents in the atmosphere of Jupiter
• obtained indirect evidence of the presence of liquid ocean beneath the ice of Europe
• discovered Ganymede's own magnetic field
• collected valuable data on the magnetosphere of Jupiter

On September 21, 2003, the Galileo mission was completed. The device was sent into the atmosphere of Jupiter at a speed of about 50 km / s in order to avoid the possibility of introducing microorganisms from the Earth to Jupiter’s satellites. It melted in the upper atmosphere.

The next unit, designed to study Jupiter, " Juno ", was launched in 2011, and will arrive in the orbit of the planet next year.