NASA’s Cassini spacecraft
After studying Saturn, its rings and moons for
more than 12 years, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has entered the final year of its
epic voyage during which it will make the closest-ever observations of the planet.
- The conclusion of the historic
scientific odyssey is planned for September 2017.
Details:
- Cassini’s final phase, called the
Grand Finale, begins in earnest in April next year. A close flyby of
Saturn’s giant moon Titan will reshape the spacecraft’s orbit so that it
passes through the gap between Saturn and the rings, an unexplored space
only about 2,400 kilometers wide.
- During the Grand Finale, Cassini
will make the closest-ever observations of Saturn, mapping the planet’s
magnetic and gravity fields with exquisite precision and returning
ultra-close views of the atmosphere.
- Cassini’s orbit will send the
spacecraft just past the outer edge of the main rings. These orbits, a
series of 20, are called the F-ring orbits.
- During these weekly orbits,
Cassini will approach to within 7,800 kilometres of the centre of the
narrow F ring, with its peculiar kinked and braided structure.
About Cassini Mission:
Cassini–Huygens is an unmanned spacecraft
sent to the planet Saturn. Cassini is the fourth space probe to visit Saturn
and the first to enter orbit.
- Its design includes a Saturn
orbiter and a lander for the moon Titan. The lander, called Huygens,
landed on Titan in 2005. The spacecraft was launched on October 15, 1997.
This was the first landing ever accomplished in the outer Solar System.
Objectives:
- Determine the three-dimensional
structure and dynamic behavior of the rings of Saturn.
- Determine the composition of the
satellite surfaces and the geological history of each object.
- Determine the nature and origin of
the dark material on Iapetus’s leading hemisphere.
- Measure the three-dimensional
structure and dynamic behavior of the magnetosphere.
- Study the dynamic behavior of
Saturn’s atmosphere at cloud level.
- Study the time variability of
Titan’s clouds and hazes.
- Characterize Titan’s surface on a regional scale.
