Scientists to Reveal Source of Jupiter's Rings

N E W S A D V I S O R Y

Sept. 8, 1998

A JOINT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM CORNELL AND THE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY, PASADENA, CALIF. EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE TUESDAY, SEPT. 8, 8:00 A.M.

Scientists to reveal source of Jupiter's rings

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Astronomers analyzing data from NASA's Galileo spacecraft will announce they have solved a long-standing mystery, the origin of Jupiter's rings, at a news briefing on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at noon, EDT, at Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., in the ILR Conference Center. Los Angeles-area news media are invited to watch the briefing via video teleconference at JPL and ask questions over a live audio link.

New Galileo images, including views of Jupiter's rings, will be available, along with a new Galileo video animation, both on the Internet and on NASA TV.

Panelists will include Galileo imaging team leader Dr. Mike Belton of the National Optical Astronomical Observatories, Tucson, Ariz.; team members Dr. Joseph Burns and Dr. Joseph Veverka, both of Cornell; and imaging team affiliate Maureen Ockert-Bell, also of Cornell.

The briefing will be carried live on the Internet. Reporters wishing to view the briefing online are asked to register before the conference on the web at . Participants will be able to send their questions to the panel by e-mail.

The Galileo spacecraft has been orbiting Jupiter and its moons for the past 2-1/2 years. It concluded its primary mission in December and is currently in the midst of a two-year extension, known as the Galileo Europa Mission. JPL manages Galileo for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.

Images and animation will be transmitted on NASA TV on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at noon, 3 p.m., 6 p.m., 9 p.m. and midnight (all times EDT). NASA TV is available through GE-2, transponder 9C at 85 degrees west longitude, vertical polarization, with a frequency of 3880 MHz and audio at 6.8 MHz. The new images will be released on the Internet at the following URLs: and .

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Contact: David Brand, Office: (607) 255-3651, Home: (607) 256-0849
[email protected]

JPL: Jane Platt (818) 354-0880