On Saturn, a Spacecraft Is Finding New Worlds

NY Times ^ | July 5, 2005 | JOHN NOBLE WILFORD

[neverdem]

NASA/J.P.L.
The Cassini spacecraft has provided new looks at Saturn and its rings of ice.

Of all the planets in the Sun's family, the most spectacular seen from afar is Saturn, a sphere of ethereal pastels encircled by shimmering rings of ice. Even up close and under repeated scrutiny by the Cassini spacecraft for a full year now, Saturn does not disappoint. The new familiarity becomes the ringed planet and its host of outlying moons of all sizes and aspects, and excites the mission's attending scientists.

"The mission is going fabulously well, everything we had hoped for and more," said Dr. Carolyn C. Porco of the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo., the leader of the Cassini imaging team.

The first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, Cassini arrived there a year ago, on June 30, with plans for at least a four-year tour of the Saturnian environs. Scientists are already talking up the benefits of an extended mission, if the craft remains healthy and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration will foot the bill.

In the first year alone, Cassini threaded the rings for the closest observations ever of the spreading disk of glistening water ice and recently climbed into a higher orbit looking down on the rings. From there the spacecraft sent radio signals penetrating the ring system for the most detailed look ever at the size, distribution and density of the icy material. Several similar observations will be made over the summer.

Other instruments detected lightning and swirling storms on Saturn itself, and auroras at both poles. They picked up signals from a new radiation belt in a surprising place, between the inner edge of the rings and atmosphere of Saturn, the solar system's second largest planet. They discovered a four-mile-wide moon - scientists call it a moonlet...

[COBOL2Java]

Hillary without the makeup?

[Lazamataz]

If this isn't the End Times it certainly is a reasonable facsimile...

I want a reasonable facsimilie machine.

[COBOL2Java]

I want a reasonable facsimilie machine.

I think Ronco's got one...

[SandyB]

Gee, that's great. And it probably "only" cost taxpayers $2.1 billion dollars

That is about how much we borrow each day to fund our federal budget deficit. What difference does it make if we happen to borrow $4.2 billion for just one day instead of our usual daily 2.1 billion borrowing from china?

We borrow an additional $2.1 billion every day with nothing to show for it - at least with this loan, we have some pictures.

[oh8eleven]

We borrow an additional $2.1 billion every day with nothing to show for it - at least with this loan, we have some pictures.

The deficit? With thinking like that you must be a troll. If you want pretty pictures - pay for them yourself.
Since the early 1970s NASA has done nothing but provide pictures of our tax dollars going up in smoke. Oh, and they killed a few people along the way too.

[RightWhale]

Do something useful. Create property rights in outer space.