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'Saving Galileo' Documentary Screens This Weekend This October marks the 30th anniversary of the
launch of NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter by space shuttle Atlantis. To
celebrate the mission - designed, built and operated by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory in Pasadena, California - Caltech's Beckman Auditorium is hosting the
premiere of the documentary "Saving Galileo" on Saturday, Oct. 26, at
7 p.m. PDT.
Produced by JPL Fellow and national Emmy Award-winner
Blaine Baggett, the hour-long film tells the story of how the mission stayed
alive despite a multitude of technical challenges, including a years-long
launch delay and the devastating failure of its main antenna to open properly
in space. It is also the story of a team of scientists and engineers transformed
through adversity into what many came to regard as a tight-knit family.
"Saving Galileo" picks up from
Baggett's previous documentary "To the Rescue," which focuses on the
mission's tortuous path to the launch pad. Together the films capture how, despite
its many challenges and limitations, Galileo proved a resounding success,
leading to profound scientific insights that continue to draw NASA and JPL back
to Jupiter for new adventures.
"Saving Galileo" will be preceded by opening
remarks from JPL Director Michael Watkins and a short, informal panel
discussion about the mission and its legacy at Jupiter. Speakers include Galileo
Project Scientist Torrence Johnson, JPL scientist on Juno Heidi Becker, Blaine Baggett
and moderator Preston Dyches.
The Oct. 26 event is the first in a series of
monthly screenings, titled "JPL and the Space Age," featuring
documentaries from Baggett, including films on Mars Pathfinder ("The
Pathfinders," Nov. 26), NASA's "Faster, Better, Cheaper" challenge
in the 1990s ("The Breaking Point," Dec. 12), and a two-part series
on the Mars Exploration Rovers ("Mission to Mars," Jan. 18; and
"Landing on Mars," Feb. 29).
Admission to all the documentaries is free and is on a first-come,
first-served basis.
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