Moreover, this amount is less than that expected for Jupiter based on previous observations. These results suggest our ideas about the formation and evolution of Jupiter must be revised. The role of local meteorology in producing the dryer atmosphere must also be considered. The Probe apparently entered a rather special location on a quite nonuniform world. An important goal of these observations was to place the Galileo Probe results in the context of Jupiter as a whole.
Initial results indicate the entry site is a quite variable region.
The results imply that the Galileo Probe apparently entered a rather unique location on this highly heterogeneous planet. This uniqueness may account for some of the apparent surprises found by the Probe during its descent. However, the major findings regarding composition and winds are unlikely to be affected by the unique location of the probe entry. This summary of scientific findings from the Galileo Probe mission is the result of a quick analysis of the returned data and thus these results should be viewed as preliminary. The process of converting the data returned from the Galileo Probe into useful physical scientific measurements requires time and careful analysis.