Galileo Jupiter probe atmosphere structure instrument

The probe component of the Galileo spacecraft is described. A general overview of the entire system is first given, followed by a discussion of the accelerometer data sampling, the preservation of precision across range and mode changes, failure detection, descent mode data processing, calibration data processing, the electronics piece parts, and engineering measurements. Diagrams of the Atmosphere Structure Instrument System aboard the probe and of the mechanical housing and electronics are presented. The results of a parametric study used to determine the optimum sampling rate and word length of the central system microprocessor are shown.