MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Jane Platt
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 1998
FORMER GALILEO MANAGER RECEIVES NATIONAL SPACE SOCIETY AWARD
Bill O'Neil, project manager for NASA's eight-year Galileo
primary mission that was successfully completed in December 1997,
has been honored with the first annual Lunar Gateway Award by a
chapter of the National Space Society. The award, presented by
the Lunar Reclamation Society, cites O'Neil for his "outstanding
service to all mankind for taking us along to Jupiter and its
moons: Io, Ganymede, Callisto and especially Europa."
The award was presented on May 24 in Milwaukee during the
National Space Society's 17th International Space Development
Conference. The Lunar Reclamation Society, one of the oldest
chapters of the NSS, has a history of supporting robotic
missions, particularly those which study Earth's moon. In the
case of the Galileo mission, the award recognizes work in
studying the moons of Jupiter.
The Galileo spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter on
December 7, 1995, after sending a probe into Jupiter's
atmosphere. It has spent the past 2-1/2 years studying the huge
planet and its four largest moons. The icy moon Europa is
particularly intriguing to scientists because of the prospect
that liquid water oceans may lie beneath its surface. Galileo is
currently in the midst of a two-year extended mission with a
particular focus on studying Europa.
At the May 24 awards ceremony, other honorees included U.S.
Representative James Sensenbrenner (R-WI) and Dr. Carl Sagan, who
was honored posthumously with the Robert A. Heinlein Memorial
Award.
Additional information about the Galileo mission and images
sent back by the spacecraft is available on the Internet at:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/ . Images are also available at:
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov .
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