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	Galileo to Take Close Look at Io's Volcanoes By Kenneth Silber Staff Writer posted: 12:22 pm ET 04 October 1999

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The Galileo spacecraft will take the closest look yet at Jupiter's volcanic moon Io during planned flybys on October 11 and November 25.

During the first pass, Galileo will target its instruments on four major volcanoes, called Pillan Patera, Prometheus, Loki and Pele.

The resulting pictures will be highly detailed -- some showing features as small as 7 meters (23 feet) across. By contrast, the best images of Io taken by the Voyager spacecraft in 1979 included details no smaller than 500 meters (1,640 feet) across.

Besides images, Galileo will collect data through instruments such as its near-infrared spectrometer (NIMS) and photopolarimeter-radiometer (PPR). NIMS data will be useful for deducing the composition of lava flows and other surface features. The PPR instrument will measure heat and sunlight in Io's atmosphere.

Scientists are hoping the flybys will provide clues as to why Io's volcanoes are so hot. Previous data from Galileo indicated that lava at Pillan Patera exceeded 2,600 degrees Fahrenheit. By comparison, the hottest volcanoes on Earth reach temperatures of about 2,240 degrees Fahrenheit.

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