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| October 29, 1991 Galileo Spacecraft Captured Images of an Asteroid |
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The Galileo Project is a NASA unmanned mission to explore the planet Jupiter and its
surrounding moons and magnetosphere. The spacecraft, which started its journey on October
18, 1989 with the launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis, consisted of an atmospheric entry probe (Galileo Probe) designed to enter Jupiter's atmosphere, and an orbiter (Galileo Orbiter)
designed to orbit the planet and observe Jupiter, its moons, and radiation belts.
In 1991, the Galileo spacecraft made history when it flew by the asteroid Gaspra, and returned the first ever closeup images of an asteroid. For more information visit NASA Ames Research Center: Galileo Probe.
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