The reason we're going so close is to put Galileo on a ballistic trajectory for impact into Jupiter.

We're not totally surprised, because Galileo has already outlived expectations and we knew that it might encounter additional difficulties from the high-radiation environment on this flyby.

A lot of it will depend on what's available at the time. JPL is a great place to work. Most of the people who work here are really dedicated. It's not just a job.

Ultimately, if we kept trying to fly the mission, we would use up all our propellant. And personally, I like the impact idea. I like the definitive conclusion.

It appears that the tape recorder has taken a hit from the intense radiation Galileo passed through. Our efforts to restore the tape recorder may continue for a few weeks.

The reason the outages affected the same group and not other areas is because those customers are served by the same cable loop and the cable loop was affected by equipment failures. But the cable itself is in good working order.