Overview of the Galileo Probe Mission to Jupiter

The Galileo Probe entered the atmosphere of Jupiter on December 7, 1995, for the first time directly sampling the atmosphere of one of the outer planets. The entry was the most difficult ever attempted in terms of heat and deceleration loads. The probe and all scientific instruments functioned successfully, and returned data on composition, clouds, thermal structure, winds, energy balance, lightning, and inner radiation belts. A summary of major science objectives and results is presented.