Final answer:
The Galileo spacecraft was crashed into Jupiter to avoid contaminating potential life-harboring moons, and the 57-minute lifespan of the probe in Jupiter's atmosphere was due to its extreme conditions. Technical challenges during the mission were addressed by mission engineers, and Galileo studied Jupiter's moons and two asteroids en route.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Galileo spacecraft was deliberately crashed into the surface of Jupiter at the end of its mission to avoid any potential contamination of Jupiter's moons, which may harbor conditions suitable for life. During its descent into Jupiter's atmosphere in 1995, the Galileo spacecraft helped scientists learn more about the composition and structure of the planet's atmosphere. The probe encountered extreme conditions with high temperatures and pressures which eventually led to its demise after 57 minutes; this was not a scandal but an expected outcome due to Jupiter's hostile environment.
The Galileo mission faced several technical challenges between its launch in 1989 and its arrival at Jupiter in 1995. These included problems with its high-gain antenna, which did not fully deploy, necessitating the transmission of data at a much slower rate than planned. Mission engineers adapted to this situation by optimizing data compression and prioritization of scientific measurements to make the most of the limited bandwidth available.
While in orbit around Jupiter, Galileo's primary objectives included the study of Jupiter's large moons and their complex geological features. Notably, during its journey, Galileo also studied two main-belt asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, revealing valuable information about these celestial objects.