This pair of pictures was taken by the Galileo spacecraft. It shows a dynamic eruption at Tvashtar Catena, a chain of volcanic bowls on Jupiter's moon Io. You can see that the location of lava from November 1999 to November 2000 has changed. Galileo really is a special spacecraft in that it allows us to see cool things like volcanoes on other worlds!
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA/JPL
Galileo - Still Earning Frequent Flyer Miles!
News story originally written on May 22, 2001
The
Galileo spacecraft has been in space more than 10 years! It has been orbiting
Jupiter for more than five years. And Galileo is still going strong!
The Galileo mission was suppose to end years ago. But Galileo has done so well, that NASA is extending Galileo's mission one last time!
Here's are some of the cool things Galileo has found:
liquid, saltwater oceans underneath the icy surfaces of Europa, Ganymede and Callisto
where Jupiter's Rings came from
the first asteroid to have a moon
For now, Galileo will keep flying around Jupiter and Jupiter's moons. Then, in August 2003, Galileo will head straight for Jupiter. It will plunge into the atmosphere and burn up!
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