Posted on 04/10/2016 12:31:18 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Explanation: Cassini, a robot spacecraft launched in 1997 by NASA, became close enough in 2002 to resolve many rings and moons of its destination planet: Saturn. At that time, Cassini snapped several images during an engineering test. Several of those images were combined into the contrast-enhanced color composite featured here. Saturn's rings and cloud-tops are visible toward the image bottom, while Titan, its largest moon, is visible as the speck toward the top. When arriving at Saturn in July 2004, the Cassini orbiter began to circle and study the Saturnian system. A highlight was when Cassini launched the Huygens probe that made an unprecedented landing on Titan in 2005, sending back detailed pictures. Now nearing the end of its mission, Cassini is scheduled to embark on a Grand Finale phase in late 2016 where it will repeatedly dive between the giant planet and its innermost rings.
(Excerpt) Read more at 129.164.179.22 ...
[Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, SWRI, JPL, ESA, NASA]
“where it will repeatedly dive between the giant planet and its innermost rings.”
Jokes aside, I hope the Planets Gravity doesn’t rip the spacecraft apart. That is a close pass.
It should be pretty interesting.
Fact sheet pdf: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/files/Cassini_Grand_Finale_Fact_Sheet_508.pdf
Have they thought this through? What if the spacecraft’s plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere causes global warming?
Thanks for that. :)
What a terrible waste of useful equipment.
I feel a hashtag coming on..... :D
Have they checked with the muslims to see if they feel good about this project?
A future.... Voyager
http://40.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mabdr5OMo01rzu2xzo1_1280.jpg
I know, let’s ask ‘em — we’ll carve the question on the surface of a couple dozen asteroids about 150 ft diameter each, and nudge them out of space such that each one bulleyes predomnantly muzzie areas.
If earthlings' conceit that we are entitled to invade other planets' safe spaces wasn't bad enough to begin with.
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