Three years after the arrival of the Galileo spacecraft at Jupiter, Project Manager Jim Erickson will discuss its accomplishments in a pair of free public lectures. The lectures will be held Thursday, Dec. 17, at JPL's von Karman Auditorium, and Friday, Dec. 18 at Pasadena City College's Forum, both at 7 p.m. Seating is limited and is available on a first-come, first- served basis.
"The Galileo Europa Mission: Searching for What Lies Under Europa's Ice," is part of the monthly von Karman Lecture Series sponsored by JPL's Public Affairs Office. The lecture title refers to the prospect that a liquid ocean may lie beneath the icy crust of Jupiter's moon Europa. That fascinating premise has been supported by pictures and other data returned to Earth by Galileo.
After Galileo's primary mission ended in December 1997, the spacecraft embarked on a two-year extended journey called the Galileo Europa Mission. In addition to the intriguing information about Europa's possible ocean, Galileo has gathered a wealth of data about Jupiter and its other moons, including Ganymede, Callisto and Io.
Since joining JPL in 1975, Erickson has worked on the Viking mission to Mars, Voyager mission to the outer planets, and Mars Observer, and has been part of the Galileo team in development and operations for 19 years.
More information about JPL's von Karman Lecture Series is available on the Internet at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/lecture/, or by calling (818) 354-5011. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.
818-354-5011