Galileo to plunge into Jupiter this weekend.....

[Drbio]

Last gasp for Galileo mission to Jupiter

Associated Press
PASADENA, Calif. --NASA scientists said they hope to wring a final few hours of work from the doomed Galileo spacecraft before it plunges into Jupiter this weekend.

Galileo will end its 14-year mission by diving into the turbulent atmosphere of the solar system's largest planet around 1 p.m. on Sunday. Friction will vaporize the spacecraft, which will be traveling at nearly 108,000 mph.

In the hours before impact, scientists expect Galileo to transmit the final scientific measurements of its mission.

``We expect to be collecting science data all the way in,'' Claudia Alexander, manager of the $1.5 billion project, said Wednesday.

On tap are observations that may confirm the presence of a ring of chunky material circling Jupiter at the orbit of Amalthea, a bright red, inner moon.

A swoop past the moon that Galileo made in November suggested the presence of such a ring.

However, it is unclear whether NASA will succeed in squeezing final data from Galileo.

On previous close brushes with Jupiter, the planet's intense radiation forced the spacecraft to enter standby mode and await further commands from Earth.

There will be no time for such commands to be sent on Sunday.

``We're keeping our fingers crossed,'' Alexander said.

Even if it blinks out, Galileo will sail into Jupiter on its own, vanishing behind the planet before it enters its atmosphere. It is on target to strike Jupiter just south of its equator, ending a voyage that's covered 2.8 billion miles.

Galileo has orbited Jupiter since 1995, studying the planet and its posse of quirky moons. NASA extended the mission three times.

Galileo is now low on the propellant needed to trim its course and point its antenna toward Earth.

Rather than strand Galileo in orbit, NASA put the 3,000-pound probe on a collision course with Jupiter. The idea is to ensure it never accidentally collides with Europa and contaminates the Jovian moon with stowaway microbes from Earth.

Galileo's observations revealed that Europa probably has a large ocean, which may harbor extraterrestrial life.

``Ironically, Galileo itself has given us the reason'' to destroy it, said Colleen Hartman, director of NASA's solar system exploration division.

NASA has begun designing a follow-on mission to Galileo, expected to launch in the next decade.