Universe Today - January 17, 2002

NASA's Galileo spacecraft will make its final pass with Jupiter's moons today, when it hurtles past turbulent Io for the sixth time. Launched in 1989, Galileo has been circling the Jovian system for six years now and has made 33 orbits - three times longer than originally anticipated. Galileo will end its mission later this month when controllers maneuver it into the heart of Jupiter, where it will be crushed by the immense gravity.

Astronomers calculated that two asteroids passed relatively close to the Earth on Wednesday; although, there was no risk they would actually collide with the planet... this time. The first was up to 3km across and passed 11 million kilometers away from the Earth (about 24 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon). The second was only 100 metres across, but came within 3 million kilometres of us.

The US military launched a Titan IV B rocket on Wednesday morning carrying a Milstar 2F-3 military satellite. The launch of this satellite completes the military's communications network, providing it with a ultra-secure, jam-resistant communications to troops anywhere on the planet. The rocket lifted off from Complex 40, at 0300 GMT Wednesday (7:30 pm EST Tuesday) after it was delayed three hours because of problems with ground support equipment.