Galileo's demise is this weekend. Goodbye, little robot explorer...

[Dookus]

Last week's New Yorker had a great article on this plucky little spacecraft. CNN's got a good story today on it, too: http://www.cnn.com/2003/TECH/space/09/19/galileo.crash/index.html

What an incredible journey. Take a minute out from the flame wars this weekend to ponder the ingenuity and pure pluck behind this mission. The whole thing almost failed badly, but some really smart people made it work, and gave us some of the most revealing and beautiful views of another world. Now it's going to be destroyed to avoid any microbial contamination of Europa.

Farewell, Galileo!

[arcane1]

1. how cool, and sad...

that little guy has had quite a job!

:toast:

[Brian Sweat]

2. Damn that Wesley Clark.

:)

[Patriot_Spear]

3. Man, you made me sad....

Your thread would be a great title for a larger article...

[Dookus]

4. It's really bittersweet.

It's odd I'm emotional about it. I guess I'm anthropomorphizing the thing, but he was such an underdog that really came through when needed.

I'll get the telescope out this weekend in honor of Galileo.

[Patriot_Spear]

7. I've got a 4 1/2" reflector- maybe the boys and I will stay up late...

...and watch the sky in honor of Galileo.

[Dookus]

8. You should...

in fact, I'd encourage everybody in GD to at least step outside and ponder the skies this weekend.

Perspective... it does wonders.

[Maple]

5. A great job!

And a great addition to our knowledge about the world...s.

[KittyWampus]

6. Kepler Deserves To Have A Robot Too!

But thanks for posting this. Heard it on the news and smiled at how we humans seem to have an overwhelming tendency to treat machines as personalities! :)

[arcane1]

9. and treat some humans as machines, or less...

:grr:

[Dookus]

10. yes, Kepler sure does.....

I hope they honor him with a similar mission. There's still a LOT to learn here in our own solar system.

[stevedeshazer]

11. We still have Cassini-Huygens spacecraft

Due to arrive the Saturn system next July. :-)

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/overview/index.cfm

added link on edit

[Dookus]

12. next july?

Cooooool....

Saturn's gonna be FUN!

[stevedeshazer]

15. Plus landing on freaking Titan!

Key dates of the Saturn Tour are:

June 11, 2004: Flyby of the furthest moon orbiting Saturn,
Phoebe, at an altitude of 2,000 km (1,243 miles).

July 1, 2004: Crossing of Saturn's Ring Plane during the
spacecraft's critical Saturn Orbit Insertion sequence.

Dec. 25, 2004: Huygens probe separates from the Cassini orbiter.

Jan. 14, 2005: Huygens begins its descent through Titan's cloudy
atmosphere, where it lands on the surface about two and half
hours later.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/index.cfm

[Dookus]

16. Landing on Titan.... wow.

This is the kind of stuff that makes me want to live forever.

[Dudley_DUright]

13. Here is the Galileo JPL website

Check out the photo archive for some spectacular pictures.

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/

It is comforting to know that Galileo will meet its demise sending back scientific data as it plunges into the atmosphere of Jupiter. What a great scientific legacy. Galileo would be proud! :-)

[Dookus]

17. great site!

Here's a beautiful pic it took of Europa:

[ElsewheresDaughter]

14. thanks for the heads up...farewell and RIP

[UTUSN]

18. Is This the Plutonium-into-Pluto Art BELL One?

Where all perdicion is due in 2 days?

[Dookus]

19. LOL...

I hadn't heard that. But I don't listen to Bell. Life's too short.

There IS plutonium on board Galileo, but it's going into Jupiter, not Pluto. Anyway, it'll be vaporized in Jupiter's atmostphere. I think the solar system will soldier on afterward.

And if not, so long y'all!

[Don_G]

20. I Wouldn't Worry About The Plutonium

Jupiter's core is made of metallic hydrogen. I don't see where less than a pound of plutonium would hurt.

[Dookus]

21. bump...

for the weekenders.

[Noordam]

22. Kick for the little sat that could

:kick: