[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

New Galileo Images Of Ganymede Available On July 15

MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Contact: Jane Platt

INTERNET/VIDEO ADVISORY						July 14, 1998

NEW GALILEO PICTURES OF JUPITER'S MOON, GANYMEDE AVAILABLE

	New high-resolution images taken by NASA's Galileo spacecraft of 
Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, will be unveiled Wednesday, July 15, 
on NASA TV and on the Internet at:  

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/sepo/atjup/newim.html
 
and at 

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov 

The images were taken by Galileo's camera during several Ganymede flybys
between June 1996 and June 1997.  They reveal impact craters with unusual
pedestals, dark ejecta haloes, evidence of tectonic activity and possible
signs of icy volcanic flows.  A crater chain seems to be the result of
impacts from a broken-up comet, like the 1994 Shoemaker-Levy impact on
Jupiter. 

Ganymede is the largest moon of any planet in the solar system.  Its
distinctive surface is composed half of bright water ice, and half of
older, dark, heavily cratered terrain containing ice and rocks.  The new
images show surface details including abundant remnants of old craters and
basins in the dark terrain, thought to date from early in the solar
system's history.  The images also reveal a complex transition from dark,
old terrain to bright, new terrain, where parallel rows of linear
mountain-like ridges extend for hundreds of kilometers (or miles).  During
the early part of Ganymede's history, it is very likely that a global ocean
existed below the surface, just as an ocean may exist on Europa today.  A
complex valley with a lobe-shaped flow appears to be a source of liquid
water volcanism. Younger faults are seen cross-cutting older features,
which helps scientists piece together the sequence of events in Ganymede's
history. 
 
"These new, unprecedented views of Ganymede allow us to address scientific
mysteries revealed by earlier spacecraft.  By analyzing these images,
scientists will lay the cornerstone for interpreting other icy satellites
around Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune," said Dr. James Head, a Brown
University planetary scientist and member of the Galileo imaging team.	

Galileo has spent 2-1/2 years orbiting Jupiter and imaging its four largest
moons.  It wrapped up its primary mission in December 1997, and its
current, extended Galileo Europa Mission will continue through December
1999.  The mission includes eight Europa flybys, four Callisto flybys, and
one or two of Io, as long as the spacecraft remains healthy.

Images will be transmitted on NASA Television on Wednesday, July 15, at 9
a.m., 12 noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. Pacific time.  NASA Television is
available on the satellite GE-2, transponder 9C, at 85 degrees west
longitude, vertical polarization, frequency 3880 Mhz, audio 6.8 MHz.  

                                # # # # #

----------
List Archives are located at http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html
For other help, FAQ's and subscription info and other resources,
visit  http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------