Has there been any missions on Io?
A dedicated mission to Io, called the Io Volcano Observer (IVO), has been proposed for the Discovery Program as a Jupiter orbiter that would perform at least ten flybys of Io over 3.5 years. In 2020, as part of the 2019 Discovery mission call, IVO was selected as one of four missions to continue to a Phase A study.
How far away is Io from Earth?
628.3 million km
Io/Distance to Earth
Is Io bigger than Earth?
Io is a moon of the planet Jupiter. It is Jupiter’s third biggest moon with a diameter of 3642 km, being slightly bigger than Earth’s moon. Io is the most volcanically active body in the Solar System.
Who Found Jupiter’s moon Io?
Galileo Galilei
Io/Discoverers
Jan 7, 1610 CE: Galileo Discovers Jupiter’s Moons. On January 7, 1610, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei discovered, using a homemade telescope, four moons orbiting the planet Jupiter.
How was Io moon discovered?
The Discovery of Io The discovery, along with three other Jovian moons, was the first time a moon was discovered orbiting a planet other than Earth. The Galileo spacecraft passed as low as 162 miles (261 km) over the surfaces of the Galilean moons and produced detailed images.
What was the name of the first spacecraft to explore Io?
The first close-up investigation of Io using high-resolution imaging was performed by the twin probes, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched on September 5 and August 20, 1977, respectively. These two spacecraft were part of NASA and JPL’s Voyager program to explore the giant outer planets through a series of missions in the late 1970s and 1980s.
What are some of the space missions NASA is doing?
The proposals include analyzing Venus and exploring Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io. NASA could soon be exploring Venus, and moons on Jupiter and Neptune. NASA has announced four new possible space missions that could help us understand how celestial bodies came to exist, and whether they have hidden oceans or magma flows.
Are there any plans to explore the Io Volcano?
The proposed NASA Discovery mission Io Volcano Observer, currently going through a competitive process to be selected, would explore Io as its primary mission. In the meantime, Io continues to be observed by the Hubble Space Telescope as well as by Earth-based astronomers using improved telescopes such as Keck and the European Southern Observatory.
What do you need to know about the moon Io?
Ten Things to Know About Io. Pop Culture. Resources. Introduction. Jupiter’s moon Io is the most volcanically active world in the Solar System, with hundreds of volcanoes, some erupting lava fountains dozens of miles (or kilometers) high. Io is caught in a tug-of-war between Jupiter’s massive gravity and the smaller but precisely timed pulls