Galileo (spacecraft)

Galileo was a NASA spacecraft launched in 1989, designed to study Jupiter and its moons. It provided groundbreaking insights into the gas giant's atmosphere, magnetic field, and its larger moons, such as Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. Galileo's observations revealed that Europa may have a subsurface ocean, raising interest in the possibility of extraterrestrial life. The spacecraft operated for nearly eight years, sending back invaluable data before it was deliberately crashed into Jupiter in 2003 to avoid contaminating any of its moons. Its mission greatly expanded our understanding of the Jovian system and planetary science.