Cassini

[Makkah]

As of around an hour ago, the satellite Cassini has successfully entered orbit around Saturn after an hour and a half rocket burn to slow itself.

What I find cool is that the probe actually crossed the ring plane twice to maneuver itself. Very cool.

Pictures should be received sometime tomorrow morning ~8AM EDT.

Huygens probe will be released in December i think to sink into the early Earth-like atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan. Could find some really major shit down there.

Anyone else keeping up with these or the Mars rovers? Cool shit.

rht

[Ravenstorm]

Oh, yes. I love everything space related and the photos we get are just amazing. Not to mention the actual knowledge obtained.

Raven

[Hulkein]

Yeah I'm interested in this type of stuff also.

Are these photos tomorrow going to be as high quality as the newest mars rover? I don't even know when they launched this thing, so I have no clue how new the camera is.

[Edited on 7-1-2004 by Hulkein]

[Latrinsorm]

My money's on Europa. But Titan is cool too.

[Wezas]

I'm sure Tayre has the inside NASA scoop on Uranus.

[DeV]

Originally posted by Wezas
I'm sure Tayre has the inside NASA scoop on Uranus. Leave it to Wezas. :lol:

[Drew2]

It's Titan.

And it will be on January 14, 2005.


From "Space Center Roundup" that is handed out to all the employees...

"JPL's next major milestone will be the Cassini spacecraft's arrival at Saturn on July 1. A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency, Cassini is sending a sophisticated robotic spacecraft to orbit the ringed planet and study the Saturnian system in detail over a four-year period. Onboard Cassini is a scientific probe called Huygens that will be released from the main spacecraft to parachute through the atmosphere to the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The Huygens probe will decend to the surface of Titan on January 14, 2005."

And there you have it.

[Edited on 7-1-2004 by Tayre]

[Parkbandit]

Some early pics:

[Drew2]

Haha 2.2 Billion miles.

Primary Mission: Four-year tour to study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetosphere
Launch: October 15, 1997 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida
Arrival at Saturn: July 1, 2004 (Eastern time)
Distance Traveled: 2.2 billion miles (3.5 billion km)
Huygens probe Titan descent: January 14, 2005

More pictures (http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/media/Cassini_Multimedia_Collection(Search_Agent)_archiv e_1.html)

[Edited on 7-1-2004 by Tayre]

[Latrinsorm]

Originally posted by Tayre
It's Titan.

ROUNDUP! YEEHAW! HUYGEN!By "money on Europa", I meant "something cool is on Europa". I wasn't challenging the accuracy of Makkah's statement.

[longshot]

Originally posted by Tayre


"JPL's next major milestone will be the Cassini spacecraft's arrival at Saturn on July 1. A joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency,and the Italian Space Agency , Cassini is sending a sophisticated robotic spacecraft to orbit the ringed planet and study the Saturnian system in detail over a four-year period. to the surface of Titan on January 14, 2005."



Italian engineering, eh?

I give it two weeks 'til it breaks.

[Makkah]

Yea I've always heard Europa was the #1 possibility for other-worldly life as well. Perhaps having Huygens go to Titan is just more convenient.

rht