Page 9 - Curriculum Visions Dynamic Book

Galileo
 Launched in October 1989, Galileo entered orbit around Jupiter on December 7, 1995. The spacecraft’s mission was to conduct detailed studies of the giant planet, its largest moons, and the Jovian magnetic environment.
The blue dots on the picture represent the data being sent up to Galileo by the atmospheric probe that was released to descend through the clouds (see page 12).
For more on Pioneer, Voyager, and Galileo see “Outer worlds” in Volume 6: Journey into space.
The envelope of gases that surrounds the Earth and other bodies in the
universe.
axis (pl. axes) The line around which a body spins.
core The central region of a body.
density A measure of the amount of matter
in a space.
galileo A U.S. space probe launched in October 1989 and designed for intensive investigation of Jupiter.
gravity The force of attraction between bodies.
magnetic field The region of influence of a magnetic body.
moon The name generally given to any large natural satellite of a planet.
pioneer A name for a series of unmanned U.S. spacecraft. Pioneer 1 was launched into lunar orbit on October 11, 1958. The others all went into deep space.
probe An unmanned spacecraft designed to explore our solar system and beyond.
radio waves A form of electromagnetic radiation, like light and heat.
star A large ball of gases that radiates light. The star nearest the Earth is the Sun.
voyager A pair of U.S. space probes designed to provide detailed information about the outer regions of the solar system.
atmosphere
Jupiter does not have a land surface as we do on Earth. Instead, the gases in the core gradually
become denser with depth, turning first
into a liquid and then probably a solid as the
core is approached. Jupiter appears to spin
incredibly fast on its axis. But what we actually see are the gases
of the atmosphere on the move. We have no means of telling whether or not the solid body at the centre of the
planet is spinning with the same speed.
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