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From: earle@smeagol.UUCP (Greg Earle)
Newsgroups: net.space
Subject: Project Galileo Update (2/12/86, 4:30PM PST)
Message-ID: <598@smeagol.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 12-Feb-86 21:08:58 EST
Article-I.D.: smeagol.598
Posted: Wed Feb 12 21:08:58 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Feb-86 07:20:38 EST
Distribution: net
Organization: Spacecraft Data Systems, JPL, Pasadena, CA
Lines: 39

At 4:00 PM PST, Wed. Feb. 12, there was a Galileo status meeting held here
at JPL.  Main points of interest to the net were:

 - The mission is officially postponed.  The next Launch Window available
   is a 3 week period in June 1987.  Previous launch date was end of this
   coming May.
 - It was predicted that if the spacecraft had been onboard Challenger, that
   there would NOT have been a serious radioactive materials leak.
 - It has not been decided whether to leave the spacecraft at KSC, or bring
   it back to JPL.  Fuel storage is a main issue here.
 - No mention was made of the Ulysses project [if you aren't aware, Ulysses
   is the ESA/NASA project, formerly known as the International Solar Polar
   Mission, which was to be launched 5 days before Galileo, go out to Jupiter
   in order to use Jupiter's gravity boost to acheive an orbit over the Poles
   of the Sun.].  It can be assumed that Ulysses is grounded until the same
   time frame.
 - There were plans for Galileo to rendevous with an Asteroid on the way out;
   obviously this has been scrapped, although there is talk about finding
   a possible replacement asteroid that would be reachable considering the
   time of the next launch window.
 - The timing of the launch within the new launch window may have to be
   adjusted, because there is a chance that improper timing of the launch
   would get Galileo out to Jupiter orbit at the same time as Voyager II
   near-approach to Neptune (August 24, 1989).
 - At this time, no spare parts for Galileo will be freed up for use by other
   projects.  This may have serious consequences for the next unmanned probe,
   formerly known as the Venus Radar Mapper (now officially Magellan), which
   is to be a 'Galileo Spare Parts' machine.  Martin Marietta was to begin
   'serious' work on Magellan subsystems after ~ April of this year.

Disclaimer Disclaimer: This should be considered an Official NASA/JPL
statement on this matter, 'cause that's what they told us ...

-- 

	Greg Earle
	JPL Spacecraft Data Systems group
	sdcrdcf!smeagol!earle (UUCP)
	ia-sun2!smeagol!earle@csvax.caltech.edu (ARPA)