Callisto

Callisto
Base Data
Radius	161,000 m
Orbit Data
SOI radius	3,936,447 m

Callisto is the second largest and most distant of Jupiter’s Galilean moons. It is colorful and spotty in appearance. Callisto is included in the Planets Expansion DLC.

Like Ganymede and Io, Callisto’s high gravity makes landing difficult with low thrust engines.

Around Callisto

Callisto, similar in more ways than one to Ganymede, is prime for Gravity Assists. Low passes can be hazardous, however, as the rims of Callisto’s craters can exceed 100 meters in height.

However, easy orbits around Callisto can be achieved without gravity assists, as at Callisto’s distance from Jupiter, your craft will not be moving at a very high velocity, even if it is on an escape trajectory.

Callisto’s Surface

Like the Moon, Callisto’s surface is heavily cratered. Unlike the moon, however, these craters are remarkably large. Coupled with Callisto’s high gravity, traversing and landing can be problematic. Make sure your craft has a wide base so it does not tip if you land at an odd angle.

Trivia

• Callisto, like Io, was not included in any 1.4 game peeks.
• Callisto is far from the most distant moon of Jupiter. That title is held by S/2003 J 2.
• Callisto is one of the most cratered bodies in the Solar System
• Some of the crater plains on Callisto could be as old as the Earth.
• Like the rest of the Galilean moons, Callisto was a lover of Zeus. Hera, enraged by her husband’s affair with Callisto, turned her into a bear. Right before she was going to be killed, she was turned into the constellation Ursa Major.