JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Solar System
.

'Saving Galileo' Documentary Screens This Weekend

Oct 21, 2019
An artist's rendering of the Galileo spacecraft with its crippled main antenna.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

The latest JPL-produced film, screening at Caltech on Oct. 26, follows the challenges and successes of the historic mission to Jupiter.

This October marks the 30th anniversary of the launch of NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter by space shuttle Atlantis. To celebrate the mission - designed, built and operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California - Caltech's Beckman Auditorium is hosting the premiere of the documentary "Saving Galileo" on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. PDT.

Produced by JPL Fellow and national Emmy Award-winner Blaine Baggett, the hour-long film tells the story of how the mission stayed alive despite a multitude of technical challenges, including a years-long launch delay and the devastating failure of its main antenna to open properly in space. It is also the story of a team of scientists and engineers transformed through adversity into what many came to regard as a tight-knit family.

"Saving Galileo" picks up from Baggett's previous documentary "To the Rescue," which focuses on the mission's tortuous path to the launch pad. Together the films capture how, despite its many challenges and limitations, Galileo proved a resounding success, leading to profound scientific insights that continue to draw NASA and JPL back to Jupiter for new adventures.

"Saving Galileo" will be preceded by a short, informal panel discussion about the mission and its legacy at Jupiter. Speakers include Galileo Project Scientist Torrence Johnson, JPL scientist on Juno Heidi Becker, Blaine Baggett and moderator Preston Dyches.

The Oct. 26 event is the first in a series of monthly screenings, titled "JPL and the Space Age," featuring documentaries from Baggett, including films on Mars Pathfinder ("The Pathfinders," Nov. 16), NASA's "Faster, Better, Cheaper" challenge in the 1990s ("The Breaking Point," Dec. 12), and a two-part series on the Mars Exploration Rovers ("Mission to Mars," Jan. 18; and "Landing on Mars," Feb. 29).

Admission to all the documentaries is free and is on a first-come, first-served basis.

News Media Contact

Matthew Segal

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

818-354-8307

matthew.j.segal@jpl.nasa.gov

2019-210

Related News

Mars .

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Succeeds in Historic First Flight

Mars .

NASA to Attempt First Controlled Flight on Mars As Soon As Monday

Mars .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter to Make First Flight Attempt

Mars .

NASA’s Odyssey Orbiter Marks 20 Historic Years of Mapping Mars

Solar System .

Probing for Life in the Icy Crusts of Ocean Worlds

Mars .

NASA’s First Weather Report From Jezero Crater on Mars

Mars .

NASA Invites Public to Take Flight With Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

Mars .

NASA’s Mars Helicopter Survives First Cold Martian Night on Its Own

Mars .

Sensors Collect Crucial Data on Mars Landings With Arrival of Perseverance

Mars .

NASA’s InSight Detects Two Sizable Quakes on Mars

Explore More

Image .

Goldstone Radar Observations of Asteroid 2001 FO32

Video .

What's Up - April 2021

Image .

Europa Clipper Spacecraft (Illustration)

Image .

Europa Imaging System Wide Angle Camera

Image .

Faraday Cups Up Close: NASA's Europa Clipper

Image .

Europa Clipper's Thermal Tubing

Image .

Europa Imaging System Narrow Angle Camera

Image .

Europa Clipper REASON Testing on the Mesa

Image .

Europa Clipper's Europa Imaging System in the Works

Image .

Preparing NASA's Europa Clipper's Plasma Instrument

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors of JPL
JPL History
Documentary Series
Virtual Tour
Annual Reports
Missions
All
Current
Past
Future
News
All
Earth
Mars
Solar System
Universe
Technology
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Infographics
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Engage
JPL and the Community
Lecture Series
Public Tours
Events
Team Competitions
JPL Speakers Bureau
Topics
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Stars and Galaxies
Exoplanets
Technology
JPL Life
For Media
Contacts and Information
Press Kits
More
Asteroid Watch
Robotics at JPL
Subscribe to Newsletter
Universe Newsletter
Social Media
RSS
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Manager: Veronica McGregor
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Randal Jackson, Naomi Hartono