NASA HISTORY: Ulysses Spacecraft Completes Closest Approach to Jupiter in 1992

By  //  February 9, 2021

February 8, 2021

In 1992, the Ulysses spacecraft flew past Jupiter and completed its closest approach at only 277,474 miles (~ 446,551 km) away from the planet’s center! (NASA Image)

(NASA) – In 1992, the Ulysses spacecraft flew past Jupiter and completed its closest approach at only 277,474 miles (~ 446,551 km) away from the planet’s center!

The primary mission of the joint ESA-NASA Ulysses spacecraft was to study the north and south poles of the Sun.

The spacecraft used Jupiter’s gravity to slingshot out of the ecliptic plane and onward to the polar regions of the Sun, but while there, Ulysses also collected data about Jupiter’s magnetosphere and volcanic activity on the planet’s moons.

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