At the end of the mission of Galileo in 2003,the spacecraft was sent to burn up in the atmosphere of Jupiter.Why was it not just left floating in space?
A) The last part of the mission was a final probe of Jupiter's atmosphere.
B) It was feared that Galileo might someday crash on Europa and contaminate its oceans with biological organisms from Earth.
C) It was feared that the new Cassini spacecraft might crash into it.
D) Galileo carried a nuclear reactor, and the spacecraft was destroyed to prevent possible radioactive contamination.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Galileo was intentionally sent to burn up in Jupiter's atmosphere to avoid the risk of contaminating Europa, one of Jupiter's moons, with Earth microbes, as Europa is considered a potential habitat for life.

At the End of the Mission of Galileo in 2003,the