The Galileo satellite was launched from Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-34 mission in 1989. Galileo was the first spacecraft to examine Jupiter and its moons for an extended period. The Galileo Probe was an atmospheric-entry probe carried by the main Galileo spacecraft to Jupiter, where it directly entered a hot spot and returned data from the planet. It was the first spacecraft to visit an asteroid -- two in fact, Gaspra and Ida. While its aim was to study Jupiter and its mysterious moons, which it did with much success, NASA's Galileo mission also became notable for discoveries during its journey to the gas giant.

Galileo even carried a small probe that it deployed and sent deep into the atmosphere of Jupiter ... 1989 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla., aboard space shuttle Atlantis. At one point, it released a small probe which dove into the Jovian atmosphere and sent back valuable data to scientists about the composition, speed, density, and temperature of our solar system's largest planet. The Deep Space Network tracking station in … The Galileo spacecraft and probe traveled as one for almost six years.

The Galileo spacecraft's 14-year odyssey came to an end on Sunday, Sept. 21, when the spacecraft passed into Jupiter's shadow then disintegrated in the planet's dense atmosphere at 11:57 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time. Arrival Arrival.

Galileo has already revealed a completely new view of Jupiter and its mysterious moons: It provided evidence to support the theory that Europa, Callisto and Ganymede all have sub-surface water.

Earth-based telescopes had to wait to see the impact sites as they rotated into view. NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details The deceleration module consisted of the fore and aft heat shields and their accompanying support structure and the thermal control hardware for the phases of the mission through entry into the atmosphere. The probe sent back remarkable pictures of volcanic plumes on the moon Io. The spacecraft made the only direct observations of the impact. Asteroid Gaspra Flyby: Oct. 29, 1991, at about 1,000 miles (1,601 kilometers) Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9: impacts of comet fragments into Jupiter observed while en route in July 1994. In 1994, Galileo was perfectly positioned to watch the fragments of comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 crash into Jupiter. It took five years to reach Jupiter, where it has remained for the past 9 years. The 339-kilogram (747 lb) probe was built by Hughes Aircraft Company at its El Segundo, California plant, and measured about 1.3 meters (4.3 ft) across.