This crucial NASA mission is 35 years old, yet you don't know about it

© NASA

Galileo is one of the greatest scientists in the history of humanity. Among his many discoveries, he was notably the first to observe Jupiter, in 1610, thanks to his invention, the astronomical telescope. In order to pay tribute to him, NASA decided in 1989 that its JOP probe (Jupiter Orbiter with Probe) will use the name of the Italian scientist.

Galileo&amp ;nbsp;: a probe like no other

It was 35 years ago to the day, on October 18, 1989, NASA launched the Galileo probe. Its mission was to explore Jupiter and its moons. This program, as ambitious as it was complex, quickly made its mark. After a six-year journey, during which the probe would go through all the states, it would finally reach its destination.

This was followed by one of the most important missions in NASA's history. For 14 years, the probe struggled against Jupiter's powerful gravity as well as the radiation present in the region. The probe was finally destroyed in 2003, plunging one last time into Jupiter's atmosphere.

Historic discoveries

Jupiter and its Great Red Spot in the foreground with Europa, its moon, on its left © NASA, ESA, STScI, A. Simon

During his 14 years around Jupiter and its moons, Galileo made several observations. In particular, it allowed the scientific world to better understand how Jupiter works. But the most important discovery of his voyage concerns one of its moons, Europa.

During a close pass, Galileo detected the presence of a vast ocean of liquid water beneath the icy surface. This discovery fascinated the scientific world for years. For the most optimistic, it was the proof that was missing to prove that we were not alone in the Universe, the others saw it only as a very encouraging sign, without being a clear demonstration.

Galileo also discovered traces of volcanic acidity on another of Jupiter’s moons, Io. Finally, it provided information on Jupiter’s rings (as on Saturn, although they are much less visible) and on the “Great Red Spot,” a storm that rages in the gas giant’s atmosphere.

Europa Clipper: the little sister

artist's impression of the Europa Clipper probe near Jupiter © NASA

This week, NASA launched the Europa Clipper probe on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The goal of this “little sister” to Galileo is simple: to confirm the discoveries made more than 20 years ago about Europa. The probe has just begun its journey and is expected to reach Jupiter early in the next decade.

NASA hopes it will bring us new information about the liquid water ocean discovered on Europa. 35 years after Galileo, the American space agency is once again setting out to conquer these distant lands, with the aim of understanding whether life can form elsewhere than on Earth.

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