On June 27, 1996, NASA’s Galileo probe performed a flyby of Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. Ganymede is the largest moon in our solar system, by far. It’s larger than all of the dwarf planets and the planet Mercury. The Galileo probe completed eight flybys of Ganymede throughout its 14-year mission.
Named after the Renaissance scientist credited for discovering the four main moons of Jupiter, Galileo launched Oct. 18, 1989, from Kennedy Space Center atop the Atlantis space shuttle. Atlantis is now displayed at the space center, and available to the public.
The probe arrived in Jupiter’s orbit on July 13, 1995. Galileo orbited Jupiter 34 times. After the initial success of the mission, NASA decided to extend it three times, amounting to an additional six years of operation. Weighing approximately 4,900 pounds, the probe primarily consists of cameras, antennas, gyroscopes, instruments to study magnetic fields, and a small propulsion system.
The spacecraft discovered Ganymede’s magnetic field, making it the only known moon in our solar system to have one. Additionally, due to the findings of this mission, it was discovered that Ganymede and two of Jupiter’s other moons, Europe and Calisto, have a liquid-saltwater layer underneath the surface. Ganymede also may possess a thin atmosphere.
The Galileo mission has provided tons of data on the moons of Jupiter, which we will study for years to come.
This information was gathered from science.nasa.gov.
