Editing Galileo project (section)

==Background==
[[Jupiter]] is the largest planet in the [[Solar System]], with more than twice the mass of all the other planets combined.<ref>{{cite web |title=In Depth {{pipe}} Jupiter |publisher=NASA Solar System Exploration |url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/in-depth/ |access-date=27 October 2020 |archive-date=March 24, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180324111152/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/jupiter/in-depth/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Consideration of sending a probe to Jupiter began as early as 1959, when the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA) [[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] (JPL) developed four mission concepts:
* Deep space flights would fly through interplanetary space;
* [[Planetary flyby]] missions would fly past planets close enough to collect scientific data and could visit multiple planets on a single mission;
* Orbiter missions would place a spacecraft in orbit around a planet for prolonged and detailed study;
* [[Atmospheric entry]] and [[lander (spacecraft)|lander]] missions would explore a planet's atmosphere and surface.{{sfn|Meltzer|2007|pp=9–10}}

Two missions to Jupiter, ''[[Pioneer 10]]'' and ''[[Pioneer 11]]'', were approved in 1969, with NASA's [[Ames Research Center]] given responsibility for planning the missions.{{sfn|Meltzer|2007|pp=21–22}} ''Pioneer 10'' was launched in March 1972 and passed within {{convert|200,000|km|sp=us}} of Jupiter in December 1973. It was followed by ''Pioneer 11'', which was launched in April 1973, and passed within {{convert|34,000|km|sp=us}} of Jupiter in December 1974, before heading on to an [[:wikt:encounter|encounter]] with [[Saturn]].{{sfn|Meltzer|2007|pp=28–29}} They were followed by the more advanced ''[[Voyager 1]]'' and ''[[Voyager 2]]'' spacecraft, which were launched on 5 September and 20 August 1977 respectively, and reached Jupiter in March and July 1979.<ref>{{cite web |title=NSSDCA: Voyager Project Information |publisher=NASA |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/voyager.html |access-date=27 October 2020 |archive-date=October 28, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028144943/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/voyager.html |url-status=live }}</ref>{{efn|Although Voyager 2 was launched before Voyager 1, the latter reached Jupiter and Saturn first.<ref>{{cite web |title=Voyager 2 Launched Before Voyager 1 - NASA |publisher=NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/voyager-2-launched-before-voyager-1/ |access-date=April 7, 2024}}</ref>}}