The Worlds of Galileo

Half a billion miles away, a swirling mass of hurricanes and clouds, the king of the planets presides over a little group of worlds that has long dazzled astronomers. This volume tells the story of the American space probe, Galileo, which has been studying Jupiter and its moons. It features first-hand testimonies from the men and women who were involved in making Galileo's odyssey happen, and it goes behind the scenes to learn how many times the project was saved from disaster before its ultimate triumph. Illustrated with over 100 colour images showing the harsh beauty and remarkable landscapes of the Jovian system, the book reveals the nature of the famous moons - a seething mass of volcanoes and lava lakes - and Europa, its glistening ice crust creaking and flexing over the waters below.