Galileo Imaging Research Articles

Improving the Usability of Galileo and Voyager Images of Jupiter's Moon Europa.

NASA's Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and Galileo spacecraft acquired hundreds of images of Jupiter's moon Europa. These images provide the only moderate‐ to high‐resolution views of the moon's surface and are therefore a critical resource for scientific analysis and future mission planning. Unfortunately, uncertain knowledge of the spacecraft's position and pointing during image acquisition resulted in significant errors in the location of the images on the surface. The result is that adjacent images are poorly aligned, with some images displaced by more than 100 km from their correct location. These errors severely degrade the usability of the Voyager and Galileo imaging data sets. To improve the usability of these data sets, we used the U.S. Geological Survey Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers to build a nearly global image tie‐point network with more than 50,000 tie points and 135,000 image measurements on 481 Galileo and 221 Voyager images. A global least‐squares bundle adjustment of our final Europa tie‐point network calculated latitude, longitude, and radius values for each point by minimizing residuals globally, and resulted in root mean square (RMS) uncertainties of 246.6 m, 307.0 m, and 70.5 m in latitude, longitude, and radius, respectively. The total RMS uncertainty was 0.32 pixels. This work enables direct use of nearly the entire Galileo and Voyager image data sets for Europa. We are providing the community with updated NASA Navigation and Ancillary Information Facility Spacecraft, Planet, Instrument, C‐matrix (pointing), and Events kernels, mosaics of Galileo images acquired during each observation sequence, and individual processed and projected level 2 images.

Quantifying misidentification rates of Europa's microfeatures in low-resolution Galileo imaging

Europa is a compelling target because of its unique geology and potential for habitability. Efforts to map the small-scale global geology of the moon have been hampered by the availability of suitable imaging (≤ 230 m/pix), which covers only 15% of the surface. New data on the abundance of microfeatures (features ≤100 km2 in area) on a global scale and their locations would help put better constraints on the geophysics of the icy world. We mapped microfeatures in low-resolution images of the E15RegMap01 region of Europa and compared our low-resolution dataset to a validated dataset collected using regional mosaic imaging. We evaluated how many features were missed in low-resolution mapping, the feature types to which they belonged, how often misclassifications were made, and how many false-positive features there were in the low-resolution dataset. We found that microchaos, hybrids, and spots were found at relatively high completeness rates when compared to the regional mosaic dataset, but domes and especially pits were almost always missed. Microchaos, hybrids, and spots also had the highest rates of consistent classification between the low-resolution and regional mosaic datasets. Finally, 36% of our total potential feature count from the low-resolution dataset were revealed to be false positives, mostly caused by ridges and shadows that were mistaken for features in low-resolution imaging. These findings quantitatively estimate the likely errors in existing and future global geologic maps that note the presence of microfeatures, offer remedies to minimize these errors, and provide guidance for future Europa mappers.

Galileo observations of volcanic plumes on Io

Io's volcanic plumes erupt in a dazzling variety of sizes, shapes, colors and opacities. In general, the plumes fall into two classes, representing distinct source gas temperatures. Most of the Galileo imaging observations were of the smaller, more numerous Prometheus-type plumes that are produced when hot flows of silicate lava impinge on volatile surface ices of SO 2. Few detections were made of the giant, Pele-type plumes that vent high temperature, sulfur-rich gases from the interior of Io; this was partly because of the insensitivity of Galileo's camera to ultraviolet wavelengths. Both gas and dust spout from plumes of each class. Favorably located gas plumes were detected during eclipse, when Io was in Jupiter's shadow. Dense dust columns were imaged in daylight above several Prometheus-type eruptions, reaching heights typically less than 100 km. Comparisons between eclipse observations, sunlit images, and the record of surface changes show that these optically thick dust columns are much smaller in stature than the corresponding gas plumes but are adequate to produce the observed surface deposits. Mie scattering calculations suggest that these conspicuous dust plumes are made up of coarse grained “ash” particles with radii on the order of 100 nm, and total masses on the order of 10 6 kg per plume. Long exposure images of Thor in sunlight show a faint outer envelope apparently populated by particles small enough to be carried along with the gas flow, perhaps formed by condensation of sulfurous “snowflakes” as suggested by the plasma instrumentation aboard Galileo as it flew through Thor's plume [Frank, L.A., Paterson, W.R., 2002. J. Geophys. Res. (Space Phys.) 107, doi:10.1029/2002JA009240. 31-1]. If so, the total mass of these fine, nearly invisible particles may be comparable to the mass of the gas, and could account for much of Io's rapid resurfacing.

An automated method for tracking clouds in planetary atmospheres

We present an automated method for cloud tracking which can be applied to planetary images. The method is based on a digital correlator which compares two or more consecutive images and identifies patterns by maximizing correlations between image blocks. This approach bypasses the problem of feature detection. Four variations of the algorithm are tested on real cloud images of Jupiter’s white ovals from the Galileo mission, previously analyzed in Vasavada et al. [Vasavada, A.R., Ingersoll, A.P., Banfield, D., Bell, M., Gierasch, P.J., Belton, M.J.S., Orton, G.S., Klaasen, K.P., Dejong, E., Breneman, H.H., Jones, T.J., Kaufman, J.M., Magee, K.P., Senske, D.A. 1998. Galileo imaging of Jupiter’s atmosphere: the great red spot, equatorial region, and white ovals. Icarus, 135, 265, doi:10.1006/icar.1998.5984]. Direct correlation, using the sum of squared differences between image radiances as a distance estimator (baseline case), yields displacement vectors very similar to this previous analysis. Combining this distance estimator with the method of order ranks results in a technique which is more robust in the presence of outliers and noise and of better quality. Finally, we introduce a distance metric which, combined with order ranks, provides results of similar quality to the baseline case and is faster. The new approach can be applied to data from a number of space-based imaging instruments with a non-negligible gain in computing time.

Amalthea's Density Is Less Than That of Water

Radio Doppler data from the Galileo spacecraft's encounter with Amalthea, one of Jupiter's small inner moons, on 5 November 2002 yield a mass of (2.08 +/- 0.15) x 10(18) kilograms. Images of Amalthea from two Voyager spacecraft in 1979 and Galileo imaging between November 1996 and June 1997 yield a volume of (2.43 +/- 0.22) x 10(6) cubic kilometers. The satellite thus has a density of 857 +/- 99 kilograms per cubic meter. We suggest that Amalthea is porous and composed of water ice, as well as rocky material, and thus formed in a cold region of the solar system, possibly not at its present location near Jupiter.

Methane absorption in the atmosphere of Jupiter from 1800 to 9500 cm −1 and implications for vertical cloud structure

New measurements of the low-temperature near-infrared absorption of methane (Sihra, 1998, Laboratory measurements of near-infrared methane bands for remote sensing of the jovian atmosphere, Ph.D. thesis, University of Oxford) have been combined with existing, longer path-length, higher-temperature data of Strong et al. (1993, Spectral parameters of self- and hydrogen-broadened methane from 2000 to 9500 cm −1 for remote sounding of the atmosphere of Jupiter, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Trans. 50, 309–325) and fitted with band models. The combined data set is found to be more consistent with previous low-temperature methane absorption measurements than that of Strong et al. (1993, J. Quant. Spectrosc. Radiat. Trans. 50, 309–325) but covers the same wider wavelength range and accounts for both self- and hydrogen-broadening conditions. These data have been fitted with k-coefficients in the manner described by Irwin et al. (1996, Calculated k-distribution coefficients for hydrogen- and self-broadened methane in the range 2000–9500 cm −1 from exponential sum fitting to band modelled spectra, J. Geophys. Res. 101, 26,137–26,154) and have been used in multiple-scattering radiative transfer models to assess their impact on our previous estimates of the jovian cloud structure obtained from Galileo Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) observations (Irwin et al., 1998, Cloud structure and atmospheric composition of Jupiter retrieved from Galileo NIMS real-time spectra, J. Geophys. Res. 103, 23,001–23,021; Irwin et al., 2001, The origin of belt/zone contrasts in the atmosphere of Jupiter and their correlation with 5-μm opacity, Icarus 149, 397–415; Irwin and Dyudina, 2002, The retrieval of cloud structure maps in the equatorial region of Jupiter using a principal component analysis of Galileo/NIMS data, Icarus 156, 52–63). Although significant differences in methane opacity are found at cooler temperatures, the difference in the optical depth of the atmosphere due to methane is found to diminish rapidly with increasing pressure and temperature and thus has negligible effect on the cloud structure inferred at deeper levels. Hence the main cloud opacity variation is still found to peak at around 1–2 bar using our previous analytical approach, and is thus still in disagreement with Galileo Solid State Imager (SSI) determinations (Banfield et al., 1998, Jupiter's cloud structure from Galileo imaging data, Icarus 135, 230–250; Simon-Miller et al., 2001, Color and the vertical structure in Jupiter's belts, zones and weather systems, Icarus 154, 459–474) which place the main cloud deck near 0.9 bar. Further analysis of our retrievals reveals that this discrepancy is probably due to the different assumptions of the two analyses. Our retrievals use a smooth vertically extended cloud profile while the SSI determinations assume a thin NH 3 cloud below an extended haze. When the main opacity in our model is similarly assumed to be due to a thin cloud below an extended haze, we find the main level of cloud opacity variation to be near the 1 bar level—close to that determined by SSI and moderately close to the expected condensation level of ammonia ice of 0.85 bar, assuming that the abundance of ammonia on Jupiter is ( 7 ± 1 ) × 10 −4 (Folkner et al., 1998, Ammonia abundance in Jupiter's atmosphere derived from the attenuation of the Galileo probe's radio signal, J. Geophys. Res. 103, 22,847–22,855; Atreya et al., 1999, A comparison of the atmospheres of Jupiter and Saturn: deep atmospheric composition, cloud structure, vertical mixing, and origin, Planet. Space Sci. 47, 1243–1262). However our data in the 1–2.5 μm range have good height discrimination and our lowest estimate of the cloud base pressure of 1 bar is still too great to be consistent with the most recent estimates of the ammonia abundance of 3.5 × solar. Furthermore the observed limited spatial distribution of ammonia ice absorption features on Jupiter suggests that pure ammonia ice is only present in regions of localised vigorous uplift (Baines et al., 2002, Fresh ammonia ice clouds in Jupiter: spectroscopic identification, spatial distribution, and dynamical implications, Icarus 159, 74–94) and is subsequently rapidly modified in some way which masks its pure absorption features. Hence we conclude that the main cloud deck on Jupiter is unlikely to be composed of pure ammonia ice and instead find that it must be composed of either NH 4SH or some other unknown combination of ammonia, water, and hydrogen sulphide and exists at pressures of between 1 and 2 bar.

The size distribution of Jupiter's main ring from Galileo imaging and spectroscopy

Galileo's Solid State Imaging experiment (SSI) obtained 36 visible wavelength images of Jupiter's ring system during the nominal mission (Ockert-Bell et al., 1999, Icarus 138, 188–213) and another 21 during the extended mission. The Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) recorded an observation of Jupiter's main ring during orbit C3 at wavelengths from 0.7 to 5.2 μm; a second observation was attempted during orbit E4. We analyze the high phase angle NIMS and SSI observations to constrain the size distribution of the main ring's micron-sized dust population. This portion of the population is best constrained at high phase angles, as the light scattering behavior of small dust grains dominates at these geometries and contributions from larger ring particles are negligible. High phase angle images of the main ring obtained by the Voyager spacecraft covered phase angles between 173.8° and 176.9° (Showalter et al., 1987, Icarus 69, 458–498). Galileo images extend this range up to 178.6°. We model the Galileo phase curve and the ring spectra from the C3 NIMS ring observation as the combination of two power law distributions. Our analysis of the main ring phase curve and the NIMS spectra suggests the size distribution of the smallest ring particles is a power law with an index of 2.0±0.3 below a size of ∼15 μm that transitions to a power law with an index of 5.0±1.5 at larger sizes. This combined power law distribution, or “broken power law” distribution, yields a better fit to the NIMS data than do the power law distributions that have previously been fit to the Voyager imaging data (Showalter et al., 1987, Icarus 69, 458–498). The broken power law distribution reconciles the results of Showalter et al. (1987, Icarus 69, 458–498) and McMuldroch et al. (2000, Icarus 146, 1–11), who also analyzed the NIMS data, and can be considered as an obvious extension of a simple power law. This more complex size distribution could indicate that ring particle production rates and/or lifetimes vary with size and may relate to the physical processes that control their evolution. The significant near arm/far arm asymmetry reported elsewhere (see Showalter et al., 1987, Icarus 69, 458–498; Ockert-Bell et al., 1999, Icarus 138, 188–213) persists in the data even after the main ring is isolated in the SSI images. However, the sense of the asymmetry seen in Galileo images differs from that seen in Voyager images. We interpret this asymmetry as a broad-scale, azimuthal brightness variation. No consistent association with the magnetic field of Jupiter has been observed. It is possible that these longitudinal variations may be similar to the random brightness fluctuations observed in Saturn's F ring by Voyager (Smith et al., 1982, Science 215, 504–537) and during the 1995 ring plane crossings (Nicholson et al., 1996, Science 272, 509–515; Bosh and Rivkin, 1996, Science 272, 518–521; Poulet et al., 2000, Icarus 144, 135–148). Stochastic events may thus play a significant role in the evolution of the jovian main ring.

Geologic mapping of the Chaac‐Camaxtli region of Io from Galileo imaging data

We produced a geologic/geomorphologic map of the Chaac‐Camaxtli region of Io's leading anti‐Jovian hemisphere using regional resolution (186 m/pixel) Galileo imaging data collected during orbit I27 (February 2000) integrated with lower resolution (1.4 km/pixel) color data, along with other Galileo imaging and spectral data. This is the first regional map of Io made from Galileo data. Nine color and geomorphologic units have been mapped, and the close proximity of dark and various colored bright materials suggests that there is an intimate interaction between (presumably) silicate magmas and sulfur bearing volatile materials that produced a variety of explosive and effusive deposits in the recent geologic past. This region of Io is dominated by 11 volcanic centers, most of which are paterae that are analogous in morphology to terrestrial calderas but larger in size. Mapping of structural features indicates that most of the active regions occur in topographic lows, and less active or inactive paterae are associated with topographic highs. This indicates that crustal thickness variations influence magma access to the surface. Surface changes in this region since the Voyager flybys (1979) are relatively minor (additional bright and dark flows, color changes), although several active vents have migrated within paterae. This observation, along with the identification of the relatively regular spacing of paterae (∼100–150 km) along a line, may indicate there are multiple interlacing fractures in the crust that serve as magma conduits from the interior. This connection between volcanism and tectonism may have implications for tidal heating mechanisms and their effect on Io's lithosphere. Some inactive patera floors may be evolving into bright plains material, which, if composed of silicates, might explain the strength of Io's crust to support steep patera walls and tall mountains.

Europa's Crust and Ocean: Origin, Composition, and the Prospects for Life

We have considered a wide array of scenarios for Europa's chemical evolution in an attempt to explain the presence of ice and hydrated materials on its surface and to understand the physical and chemical nature of any ocean that may lie below. We postulate that, following formation of the jovian system, the europan evolutionary sequence has as its major links: (a) initial carbonaceous chondrite rock, (b) global primordial aqueous differentiation and formation of an impure primordial hydrous crust, (c) brine evolution and intracrustal differentiation, (d) degassing of Europa's mantle and gas venting, (e) hydrothermal processes, and (f) chemical surface alteration. Our models were developed in the context of constraints provided by Galileo imaging, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy, and gravity and magnetometer data. Low-temperature aqueous differentiation from a carbonaceous CI or CM chondrite precursor, without further chemical processing, would result in a crust/ocean enriched in magnesium sulfate and sodium sulfate, consistent with Galileo spectroscopy. Within the bounds of this simple model, a wide range of possible layered structures may result; the final state depends on the details of intracrustal differentiation. Devolatilization of the rocky mantle and hydrothermal brine reactions could have produced very different ocean/crust compositions, e.g., an ocean/crust of sodium carbonate or sulfuric acid, or a crust containing abundant clathrate hydrates. Realistic chemical–physical evolution scenarios differ greatly in detailed predictions, but they generally call for a highly impure and chemically layered crust. Some of these models could lead also to lateral chemical heterogeneities by diapiric upwellings and/or cryovolcanism. We describe some plausible geological consequences of the physical–chemical structures predicted from these scenarios. These predicted consequences and observed aspects of Europa's geology may serve as a basis for further analys is and discrimination among several alternative scenarios. Most chemical pathways could support viable ecosystems based on analogy with the metabolic and physiological versatility of terrestrial microorganisms.

Moist convection as an energy source for the large-scale motions in Jupiter's atmosphere. Galileo Imaging Team

Jupiter's dominant large-scale weather patterns (dimensions approximately 10,000 km) are zonal jets and long-lived ovals. The jets have been flowing east and west at constant speeds of up to 180 m s(-1) for over 100 years. These jets receive energy from small-scale eddies, which pump eastward momentum into the eastward jets and westward momentum into the westward jets. This momentum transfer was predicted by numerical models before it was observed on Jupiter. The large ovals roll between the jets in an anticyclonic direction-clockwise in the northern hemisphere and counterclockwise in the southern hemisphere--where they regularly assimilate small anticyclonic eddies. But from where the eddies receive their energy has been an open question. Here we argue that the eddies, which ultimately drive both the jets and the ovals, receive their energy from moist convection. This hypothesis is consistent with observations of jovian lightning, which is an indicator of moist convection. It also explains the anticyclonic rotation and poleward drift of the eddies, and suggests patterns of upwelling and downwelling that resemble the patterns of large-scale axisymmetric overturning in the Earth's atmosphere.

Does Europa have a subsurface ocean? Evaluation of the geological evidence

It has been proposed that Jupiter's satellite Europa currently possesses a global subsurface ocean of liquid water. Galileo gravity data verify that the satellite is differentiated into an outer H2O layer about 100 km thick but cannot determine the current physical state of this layer (liquid or solid). Here we summarize the geological evidence regarding an extant subsurface ocean, concentrating on Galileo imaging data. We describe and assess nine pertinent lines of geological evidence: impact morphologies, lenticulae, cryovolcanic features, pull‐apart bands, chaos, ridges, surface frosts, topography, and global tectonics. An internal ocean would be a simple and comprehensive explanation for a broad range of observations; however, we cannot rule out the possibility that all of the surface morphologies could be due to processes in warm, soft ice with only localized or partial melting. Two different models of impact flux imply very different surface ages for Europa; the model favored here indicates an average age of ∼50 Myr. Searches for evidence of current geological activity on Europa, such as plumes or surface changes, have yielded negative results to date. The current existence of a global subsurface ocean, while attractive in explaining the observations, remains inconclusive. Future geophysical measurements are essential to determine conclusively whether or not there is a liquid water ocean within Europa today.

Galileo imaging of atmospheric emissions from Io.

The Galileo spacecraft has detected diffuse optical emissions from Io in high-resolution images acquired while the satellite was eclipsed by Jupiter. Three distinct components make up Io's visible emissions. Bright blue glows of more than 300 kilorayleighs emanate from volcanic plumes, probably due to electron impact on molecular sulfur dioxide. Weaker red emissions, possibly due to atomic oxygen, are seen along the limbs, brighter on the pole closest to the plasma torus. A faint green glow appears concentrated on the night side of Io, possibly produced by atomic sodium. Io's disk-averaged emission diminishes with time after entering eclipse, whereas the localized blue glows brighten instead.

The Structure of Jupiter's Ring System as Revealed by the Galileo Imaging Experiment

The jovian ring system was observed during four orbits of Galileo's nominal mission, when 25 clear-filter images of the rings were taken at spatial resolutions of 23 to 134 km/pixel; the ring appeared fortuitously in an additional 11 images. The tenuous jovian ring system (normal optical depths<10−5) has three components: the halo, main ring, and gossamer ring.The innermost component, atoroidal halo, extends radially from approximately 92,000 to about 122,500 km (near the 3 : 2 Lorentz resonance) and has a full-width, half-maximum thickness of 12,500 km; its brightness decreases with height off the equatorial plane and decreases as the planet is approached. Themain ringreaches from the halo's outer boundary across 6440 to 128,940 km, just interior to Adrastea's orbit (128,980 km); at its outer edge, the main ring takes nearly 1000 km to develop its full brightness. The ring's brightness noticeably decreases around 127,850 km in the vicinity of Metis' semimajor axis (127,980 km). The precise location and nature of the main ring's outer periphery may shift slightly from image to image; the same is true for the “notch” near Metis. The main ring has a faint, vertically extended component that thickens as the halo region is approached. Brightness variations of ±10% are visible in the central main ring and may be due to vertical corrugations, density clumps, or “spokes” in the ring. Unexplained differences between the near- and far-arm brightnesses are visible. We have discovered that thegossamer ring, lying exterior to the main ring, has two primary components, each of which is fairly uniform: one originates just interior to Amalthea's orbit (181,366 km) while the other is situated radially interior to Thebe's orbit (221,888 km). Very faint material continues past Thebe, blending into the background at 250,000 km. The gossamer rings have thicknesses that are comparable to the maximum elevations of these satellites off Jupiter's equatorial plane; from Galileo's nearly equatorial view, the gossamer rings present rectangular end-profiles with greater intensities along their top and bottom surfaces. The rings seem to be derived from the satellites.

Jupiter's Cloud Structure from Galileo Imaging Data

The vertical structure of aerosols on Jupiter is inferred from data obtained by the NASA Galileo Solid State Imaging system during the first six orbits of the spacecraft. Images at 889 nm (a strong methane band), 727 nm (a weaker methane band), and 756 nm (continuum) taken at a variety of lighting and viewing angles are used. The images are displayed and described in the companion paper by Vasavadaet al.(1998,Icarus135, 265–275). Conservative scattering cloud particles with laterally uniform single scattering properties are assumed in the analysis and are shown to be consistent with the data at these wavelengths. Particles are bright, and the darkest locations on Jupiter correspond to the smallest optical thickness of aerosols. Optical depths and vertical positions of aerosol layers vary from place to place and are the retrieved quantities in the analysis. Only mid and low latitudes are sampled in this data set. A stratospheric haze with an optical depth of roughly a tenth and an upper tropospheric haze with an optical depth of 2 to 6 exist over all regions. Both are consistent with previous conclusions based on data of lower spatial resolution (e.g., Westet al.1986,Icarus65, 161–217). The new data show that these layers contain little lateral structure on scales smaller than the planetary jets. On scales of the jets and ovals, the top and bottom of the upper tropospheric haze vary in elevation. Theconcentrationof particles (optical depth per pressure interval) varies less than does the total optical depth. Near the base of the upper tropospheric haze is a third cloud component, usually at pressurep= 750 ± 200 mb, which is less than a scale height in geometric thickness. Its optical depth varies from zero to about 20 on regional scales and often varies by 50% on scales of a few tens of kilometers. Optical depth variations in this cloud are the principal cause of the features in Jupiter's atmosphere seen at red and longer wavelengths. It is probably composed of ammonia. The expected NH4SH cloud has not been identified in this work, perhaps because it exists only at locations where it is concealed beneath higher clouds. Our retrievals also cannot rule out a pervasive deep haze without small-scale structure. Finally, in one region northwest of the Great Red Spot, a deeper cloud is identified. Parts of it lie at a pressure greater than four bars. It is associated with a rapidly changing storm system with optical depth of several tens (or more) and a range of cloud heights betweenp> 4 bars top∼ 400 mb. It is probably composed of water.

Grooved Terrain on Ganymede: First Results from Galileo High-Resolution Imaging

High-resolution Galileo imaging has provided important insight into the origin and evolution of grooved terrain on Ganymede. The Uruk Sulcus target site was the first imaged at high resolution, and considerations of resolution, viewing geometry, low image compression, and complementary stereo imaging make this region extremely informative. Contrast variations in these low-incidence angle images are extreme and give the visual impression of topographic shading. However, photometric analysis shows that the scene must owe its character to albedo variations. A close correlation of albedo variations to topography is demonstrated by limited stereo coverage, allowing extrapolation of the observed brightness and topographic relationships to the rest of the imaged area. Distinct geological units are apparent across the region, and ridges and grooves are ubiquitous within these units. The stratigraphically lowest and most heavily cratered units (“lineated grooved terrain”) generally show morphologies indicative of horst-and-graben-style normal faulting. The stratigraphically highest groove lanes (“parallel ridged terrain”) exhibit ridges of roughly triangular cross section, suggesting that tilt-block-style normal faulting has shaped them. These extensional-tectonic models are supported by crosscutting relationships at the margins of groove lanes. Thus, a change in tectonic style with time is suggested in the Uruk Sulcus region, varying from horst and graben faulting for the oldest grooved terrain units to tilt block normal faulting for the latest units. The morphologies and geometries of some stratigraphically high units indicate that a strike-slip component of deformation has played an important role in shaping this region of grooved terrain. The most recent tectonic episode is interpreted as right-lateral transtension, with its tectonic pattern of two contemporaneous structural orientations superimposed on older units of grooved terrain. There is little direct evidence for cryovolcanic resurfacing in the Uruk Sulcus region; instead tectonism appears to be the dominant geological process that has shaped the terrain. A broad wavelength of deformation is indicated, corresponding to the Voyager-observed topography, and may be the result of ductile necking of the lithosphere, while a finer scale of deformation probably reflects faulting of the brittle near surface. The results here form a basis against which other Galileo grooved terrain observations can be compared.

Galileo Imaging of Jupiter's Atmosphere: The Great Red Spot, Equatorial Region, and White Ovals

During the first six orbits of the Galileo spacecraft's prime mission, the Solid State Imaging (SSI) system acquired multispectral image mosaics of Jupiter's Great Red Spot, an equatorial belt/zone boundary, a “5-μm hot spot” similar to the Galileo Probe entry site, and two of the classic White Ovals. We present mosaics of each region, approximating their appearance at visible wavelengths and showing cloud height and opacity variations. The local wind field is derived by tracking cloud motions between multiple observations of each region with time separations of roughly 1 and 10 hr. Vertical cloud structure is derived in a companion paper by Banfieldet al. (Icarus135, 230–250). Galileo's brief, high-resolution observations complement Earth-based and Voyager studies and offer local meteorological context for the Galileo Probe results. Our results show that the dynamics of the zonal jets and large vortices have changed little since Voyager, with a few exceptions. We detect a cyclonic current within the center of the predominantly anticyclonic Great Red Spot. The zonal velocity difference between 0° S and 6° S has increased by 20 m sec−1. We measure a strong northeast flow approaching the hot spot. This flow indicates either massive horizontal convergence or the presence of a large anticyclonic vortex southeast of the hot spot. The current compact arrangement of two White Ovals and a cyclonic structure greatly perturbs the zonal jets in that region.

Ice flows and floes on Europa

Recent images of Europa lend new credence to the possibility of a subsurface ocean on the Jovian moon. This image, collected by Galileo on February 20 when the craft flew within 580 km of Europa, shows chunky ice rafts on the surface. The crustal plates, some as large as 13 km across, seem to have been broken apart and rafted into new positions in much the same manner as pack‐ice on Earth's polar seas. The area depicted is 34 km by 42 km, shown at a resolution of 54 meters per pixel.Ronald Greeley, a geologist from the Arizona State University and member of the Galileo imaging team, believes the ice rafts at the surface suggest that the crust is thin and covers either liquid water or slush. “We're intrigued by these blocks of ice,” said Greeley, “ which are similar to those seen on Earth's polar seas during springtime thaws.”

Making over Europa

The latest images from the Galileo orbiter seem to show that ice‐spewing volcanoes and the movement of tectonic plates have completely reshaped the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa. The images were gathered on a December 19, 1996, flyby that brought the spacecraft within 692 km of the moon's surface, more than 200 times closer than Voyager 2 flew in 1979.The new images do not show active ice volcanoes or geysers, but they do reveal flows of material on the surface. “This is the first time we've seen actual ice flows on any of the moons of Jupiter,” said Ronald Greeley, a member of the Galileo imaging team and a planetologist from Arizona State University. “These flows, as well as dark scarring on some of Europa's cracks and ridges, appear to be remnants of ice volcanoes or geysers.” (See Figure 1.)

Cracked cue ball

The latest images sent by the Galileo spacecraft reveal that the surface of Jupiter's moon Europa may have contained a layer of “warm ice” or even liquid water. In fact, planetologists are wondering if perhaps it still does.Photos taken earlier this summer show Europa to have a crust of smooth white and brown‐tinted ice scarred by long, jagged cracks; some scientists have said the moon looks like a cracked cue ball. “The scale of fracture patterns—extending a distance equivalent to the width of the western United States—dwarf the San Andreas fault in length and width,” said Ronald Greeley, a geologist from Arizona State University and a member of the Galileo imaging team. The cracks are believed to have been caused by the stress of tidal forces created by Jupiter's gravity. Warmth generated by tidal heating also may have been sufficient to soften or liquefy some of the ice.

Galileo Photometry of Asteroid 243 Ida

Galileo imaging observations over phase angles 19.5° to 109.8° are combined with near-opposition Earth-based data to derive the photometric properties of Ida. To first order these properties are uniform over the surface and well modeled at λ = 0.55 μm by Hapke parameters ω0= 0.22,h= 0.020,B0= 1.5,g= −0.33, and θ = 18° with corresponding geometric albedop= 0.21±0.030.01and Bond albedoAB= 0.081±0.0170.008. Ida's photometric properties are more similar to those of “average S-asteroids” (P. Helfenstein and J. Veverka 1989,Asteroids II, Univ. of Arizona Press, Tucson) than are those of 951 Gaspra. Two primary color units are identified on Ida: Terrain A exhibits a spectrum with relatively shallower 1-μm absorption and a relatively steeper red spectral slope than average Ida, while Terrain B has a deeper 1-μm absorption and a less steep red slope. The average photometric properties of Ida and Terrain A are similar while those of Terrain B differ mostly in having a slightly higher value of ω0(0.22 versus 0.21), suggesting that Terrain B consists of slightly brighter, more transparent regolith particles. Galileo observations of Ida's satellite Dactyl over phase angles 19.5° to 47.6° suggest photometric characteristics similar to those of Ida, the major difference being Dactyl's slightly lower albedo (0.20 compared to 0.21).