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Galileo: Earth avoidance study reportThe 1989 Galileo mission to Jupiter is based on a VEEGA (Venus Earth Earth-Gravity Assist) trajectory which uses two flybys of Earth and one of Venus to achieve the necessary energy and shaping to reach Jupiter. These encounters are needed because the Centaur upper stage is not now being used on this mission. Since the Galileo spacecraft uses radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) for electrical power, the question arises as to whether there is any chance of an inadvertent atmospheric entry of the spacecraft during either of the two Earth flybys. A study was performed which determined the necessary actions, in both spacecraft and trajectory design as well as in operations, to insure that the probability of such reentry is made very small, and to provide a quantitative assessment of the probability of reentry.
Document ID
19900018414
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Mitchell, R. T. (Jet Propulsion Lab., California Inst. of Tech. Pasadena, CA, United States)
Date Acquired
September 6, 2013
Publication Date
November 4, 1988
Subject Category
Astronautics (General)
Report/Patent Number
JPL-1625-396-REV-A
NASA-CR-186424
JPL-D-5580-REV-A
NAS 1.26:186424
Accession Number
90N27730
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.

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