Galileo: Challenges enroute to Jupiter

Abstract

The Galileo spacecraft is now on its three-year direct Earth-to-Jupiter transfer trajectory. Jupiter arrived (Probe entry) is scheduled for 2:05 pm PST, December 7, 1995. The Galileo Probe will be the first human-made object to enter the atmosphere of an outer planet, while the Orbiter will be the first artificial satellite of an outer planet. A two-year Jupiter orbital mission is planned. Following launch on October 18, 1989, Galileo spent just over three years executing its Venus-Earth-Earth Gravity Assist (VEEGA) mission phase to achieve the heliocentric energy necessary to reach Jupiter. Midway through its Earth-to-Earth leg, on October 29, 1991, Galileo became the first spacecraft to encounter an asteroid. Six months earlier in April 1991, the spacecraft's high-gain antenna (HGA) failed to deploy properly. The special guidance, navigation, and control (GN&C) problems associated with a 20-month campaign of maneuvers to free the stuck antenna and successfully perform the asteroid encounter without it are described. The overall mission and spacecraft status are also reported.