GIGO

Probing Space

The other day I came across a piece of 10-year-old video footage that I still get teary over -- coverage of the Challenger explosion. For one who dreamed early of going into space, it was an awful day.

So it has been wonderful to be able to temper that memory with the joy of the Galileo Jupiter probe team, many of whom had spent years waiting to see their dreams writ large on the heavens. It's not often we get to see the sheer delight that discovery can bring, but their excitement came across clearly in the electronic journal which team members made available.

On December 7, Jim Erickson wrote that he was ecstatic. "The day has been perfect. After 16 years of work, this is the crowning glory. We now have a permanent satellite of Jupiter, sent by Mankind to study the giant planet. I almost cried as the insertion burn terminated perfectly."

Jo Pitesky wrote of a newspaper interview which, under the subheading "Mommy's spacecraft is broken," noted "When the recorder's tape slipped on October 11, Pitesky went home worried that the entire mission would be jeopardized. She explained to her two-year-old daughter, Shana, 'The tape recorder on mommy's spacecraft is broken.' This made a strong impact on Shana, who repeated it to friends for weeks afterward."

"Probe data safely aboard, orbiter safely in orbit, and my daughter's first newspaper quote -- after 11 years of working on Galileo, what more could I ask for?" she exulted.

Steven Tyler waited over 17 years for what he saw as his "final exam day".

"Right now, I'm reflecting a little on Galileo's history. The 1981 mission. The 1986 mission and the Challenger disaster. The present mission...getting to Jupiter ten years after we originally planned to..."

One of my earliest memories is of being taken outside to look at the Moon the first time a human walked upon its face. For my cohort that, and the Challenger explosion, are defining moments of our generation. For me personally, the Galileo journals of December 7th will be another memory to treasure.

Vicki Hyde is the editor of New Zealand Science Monthly.