Abstract
The photopolarimeter/radiometer (PPR) instrument aboard the Galileo spacecraft will go into orbit around Jupiter in December 1995. The 23‐month tour offers PPR four Ganymede encounters, three Callisto encounters, and three Europa encounters with maximum PPR resolution varying from 0.5 km to 8 km and typical resolution of 200 km. In addition, there will be one Ganymede, one Callisto, and two Europa “nontargeted” encounters, giving maximum PPR resolution from 58 km to 200 km, with a typical resolution of 300 km. There is a single Io encounter before Jupiter orbit insertion that will provide resolutions ranging from 400 km to 2.5 km, and numerous subsequent opportunities to observe Io with resolution as good as 600 km. The PPR will be used to study the polarization of reflected sunlight from each satellite over a wide range of phase angles. It will also map daytime and nighttime surface temperatures to look for spatial variations in thermophysical properties, study volcanic activity on Io, and look for possible endogenic thermal activity on Europa. These observation plans are presented.
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