Three Galileos: The Man, The Spacecraft, The Telescope

Three diverse observers, all named Galileo, have observed the planet Jupiter and its wonderful moons, its exotic atmosphere, its tremendous magnetic field, and its gossamer rings. This book is a combination of history and science, presenting the proceedings of a conference honouring the achievements of Galileo the man and Galileo the spacecraft, and the promise of the new Italian national telescope. Insights into the life and times of Galileo Galilei introduce the book, followed by overviews of the Galileo mission: spacecraft, navigation, telecommunications, and early science results. The book concludes with a series of papers describing the Italian national telescope, Galileo. The book should appeal to a broad range of readers searching for an overview of the Galileo mission and telescope. Also included is the text of an audience with Pope John Paul II. The Pope's audience and speech were an acknowledgement of the importance of science for history, and the changing perspective of the Vatican on ethics and morality in science.