THE Galileo spacecraft鈥檚 Jupiter probe performed flawlessly as it plunged into the planet鈥檚 atmosphere on 7 December, say scientists working on the project.
As the probe drifted down by parachute it transmitted data on the Jovian atmosphere back to Galileo for 57 minutes, taking it about 160 kilometres below the tops of Jupiter鈥檚 highest clouds. This is well into the zone where scientists expect to find clouds of water vapour. The probe easily surpassed scientists鈥� minimum requirements for a successful mission, says Torrence Johnson, chief scientist for the Galileo project at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
Last week, the Galileo orbiter relayed the first 40 minutes of the probe鈥檚 data to scientists waiting on Earth. The rest of the data will have to wait until January because Jupiter has now passed behind the Sun, temporarily cutting off radio contact with Earth. All seven of the probe鈥檚 scientific instruments appear to have functioned properly, says Johnson. 女生小视频s are busily analysing their first-ever direct measurements of Jupiter鈥檚 atmosphere.
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They were scheduled to announce their preliminary results this week. However, the grand unveiling had to be cancelled when the continuing budget battle between Congress and President Clinton forced the US government to shut down for the second time in two months. No results will now be made public until January.
