And, they said, the virtual absence of lightning reduces the chances of finding complex organic molecules in Jupiter's atmosphere. Jupiter's winds were clocked at over 330 mph, twice as hard as previously thought. Scientists were gratified and surprised at how well Galileo's equipment worked, said probe scientist Marcie Smith. Galileo, launched in 1989 aboard space shuttle Atlantis, will orbit Jupiter and eight of its 16 moons for two years. It will pass by Jupiter's moon Ganymede on June 27.
Scientists plan to continue to study the data for the next several years.
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