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Galileo Nearing Its End

Posted by michael on from the look-out-below dept.

Anonymous Coward writes "Mission operations for the Galileo space probe, currently orbiting Jupiter, are scheduled to be shut down at the end of this month. Once a month thereafter scientists will check on the probe until September when the probe will be ordered to crash into Jupiter. The $1.5 billion mission met 70 percent of its science objectives and made a number of serendipitous discoveries along the way -- despite a range of problems."

1 of 33 comments (clear)

  1. The answer to all your questions is... by Froze · · Score: 4, Informative

    R...T...F...A...

    And I quote
    " Galileo could be allowed to simply remain in orbit, but scientists feared it might collide with Europa and contaminate that body with microbes from Earth, possibly damaging its environment. "

    This is an entirely valid concern, think the andromeda strain only inverted.

    --
    -- The morphemes of your disquisition are ascertainable, but they have eschewed an ambit of transpicuous exposition.