From: chosp@cox.net   
      
   "DP"  wrote in message   
   news:3f699b06$1@nntp.unige.ch...   
   > Ron Baalke wrote:   
   > ...   
   > > RELEASE: 03-297   
   > >   
   > > GALILEO TO TASTE JUPITER BEFORE TAKING FINAL PLUNGE   
   > >   
   > >      In the end, the Galileo spacecraft will get a taste of   
   > > Jupiter before taking a final plunge into the planet's   
   > > crushing atmosphere, ending the mission on Sunday, Sept. 21.   
   > ...   
   > > The spacecraft has been purposely put on a collision course   
   > > with Jupiter to eliminate any chance of an unwanted impact   
   > > between the spacecraft and Jupiter's moon Europa, which   
   > > Galileo discovered is likely to have a subsurface ocean.   
   >   
   > At some heights in the Jupiter atmosphere the physical   
   > conditions might be suitable to sustain life.   
   > Since temperature increases inward, at some level it must   
   > traverse the 0-100 C interval in layers where water and organic   
   > molecules must be present, and well shielded from cosmic rays.   
   >   
   > Apparently NASA seems to be sure enough that either no life   
   > can exist within Jupiter, or that Galileo will be completely   
   > sterilized before entering such "comfortable" atmospheric layers.   
      
   The Galileo spacecraft will be entering Jupiter's atmosphere   
   at about 105,000 mph. It would pass through any "comfortable"   
   atmospheric layers in a few seconds at most.   
   The heat of the entry is expected to vaporize it entirely.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)