Galileo Probe Parachute Test Program : wake properties of the Galileo Probe at Mach numbers from 0.25 to 0.95

3 Pages·1995·0.127 MB·English

by  Thomas N Canning, Thomas M Edwards, United States. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Scientific and Technical Information Division

NSSDC Master Catalog Display: Spacecraft http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/database/MasterCatalog?sc=1989-084E
NSSDC Master Catalog Display: Spacecraft
Galileo Probe
NSSDC ID: 1989-084E
Other Names
Galileo
Jupiter Orbiter Probe
Launch Date/Time: 1995-07-13 at 05:30:00
UTC
On-orbit Dry Mass: 335 kg
Nominal Power Output: 580 W
Description
The Galileo mission consists of two spacecraft: an orbiter and a probe. The probe will be the first to enter the
atmosphere of one of the outer planets.
Released from the orbiter on 13 July 1995 with an arrival of 7 December 1995, the probe has as its scientific
objectives to: (1) determine the chemical composition of the Jovian atmosphere; (2) characterize the structure of
the atmosphere to a depth of at least 10 bars; (3) investigate the nature of cloud particles and the location and
structure of cloud layers; (4) examine the Jovian radiative heat balance; (5) study the nature of Jovian lightning
activity; and, (6) measure the flux of energetic charged particles down to the top of the atmosphere. The probe is
1.25 m in diameter and 0.86 m in height. It is comprised of two major segments: a deceleration module and a
descent module.
The deceleration module consists of the fore and aft heat shields and their accompanying support structure and
the thermal control hardware for the phases of the mission through entry into the atmosphere. The descent
module, which contains the science instruments and the subsystems required to support them, is the package
which descends through the atmosphere by parachute.
During entry into the Jovian atmosphere, as the probe is subjected to temperatures near 14000 K, the forward
shield is expected to lose around 60% of its 145 Kg mass. A drogue parachute will be deployed, using a mortar,
when the probe is at a velocity of about Mach 0.9 and a dynamic pressure of 6000 N/sq m. Once the drogue
chute is released, explosive bolts will be fired to release the aft cover which in turn pulls out and strips off the bag
containing the main parachute. This entire process is designed to take less and 2 s.
The Galileo descent module differs from the Pioneer Venus Large Probe design, which included a sealed pressure
vessel, in that the mass has been minimized by venting the module and by protecting individual units as necessary
with hermetically sealed housings. These housings are designed to survive to pressures of 20 bars and were tested
to 16 bars.
Power to the probe is supplied by a LiSO2 battery with a capacity of about 21 A/hour. Mission requirements are
for about 16.3 A/hour. The primary source of energy for pyrotechnic events is a set of four thermal batteries.
The duration of the probe's descent through the Jovian atmosphere is expected to last between 48-75 minutes,
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with the lower limit determined by the minimum required battery capacity and the upper limit by atmospheric
pressure.
Discipline
Planetary Science
Sponsoring Agencies/Countries
NASA-Office of Space Science Applications/United States
Deutsche Forschunganstalt fuer Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR, nee DFVLR)/Ger
Personnel Information
Launch/Orbital Information
PDMP Information
Telecommunications Information
Publication Information
Experiment Information
Data Set Information
Other Galileo Information/Data at NSSDC
NSSDC Master Catalog Information
Galileo Orbiter
Galileo Orbiter experiments
Galileo Orbiter data
STS 34 (Galileo deployment mission)
Event Information
Galileo probe timeline of events
Galileo orbiter event information
JPL Press Releases
Surprising early science results from the Galileo probe
More science results from the Galileo probe
Science results from the first Io flyby!
Science results from the first Ganymede flyby!
Possible discovery of liquid water on Europa
Possible discovery of ionosphere on Io
More about water on Europa
Galileo's tape recorder problem (NASA press release, 10/12/95)
Galileo's fixed tape recorder (NASA press release, 10/21/95)
More about Galileo's tape recorder (NASA press release, 10/26/95)
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Related Information/Data at NSSDC
Jupiter page
Other Sources of Galileo Probe Information/Data
Project
Galileo Project Home Page (NASA JPL)
Galileo Probe Home Page (NASA ARC)
Experiment Teams
Neutral Mass Spectrometer (NMS) page
Education
Online from Jupiter (K-12 student/teacher information/activities)
NSSDC home page
For questions about this mission, please contact:
Dr. Edwin V. Bell II
GSFC-Code 690.1
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771
301-286-1187
[email protected]
NSSDC Security and Privacy Statement
NASA Official: Ed Grayzeck, [email protected]
Last Updated: 2005-01-28
Output Generated: 2006-01-17
Programming by: E. V. Bell, II ([email protected])
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