Cassini

[Subdeacon Joe]

https://www.cnet.com/news/nasa-cassini-saturn-last-final-image/

 

Final image:

 

 

13 years

 

 

"A natural-color image of Saturn from space, the first in which Saturn, its moons and rings, and Earth, Venus and Mars, all are visible, is seen in this image taken from the Cassini spacecraft on July 19, 2013. The image captures 404,880 miles (651,591 kilometers) across Saturn and its inner ring system, including all of Saturn's rings out to the E ring, which is Saturn's second outermost ring. #"

 

"Half an hour after the tiny moon Prometheus tore into this region of Saturn's F ring, the Cassini spacecraft snapped this image just as the moon was creating a new streamer in the ring.The dark pattern in the upper left of the image is Prometheus and its shadow. The potato-shaped moon can just be seen coming back out of the ring. The moon's handiwork also is apparent in two previous streamer-channel formations on the right of the image. The darkest streamer-channel stretching from the top right to the center of the image shows Prometheus' previous apoapse passage about 15 hours earlier. Prometheus (86 kilometers, or 53 miles across) dips into the inner edge of the F ring when it reaches apoapse, the moon's farthest orbital point from Saturn. At apoapse, the moon's gravity pulls particles of the ring outward into a streamer. As Prometheus moves onward toward periapse—its orbit's closest point to the planet—the streamer gets longer. Then, as Prometheus moves back toward apoapse, the streamer breaks apart which results in a dark channel. The image was taken in visible light on January 14, 2009. The view was obtained at a distance of approximately 555,000 kilometers (345,000 miles) from Saturn. "

 

"The wavemaker moon, Daphnis, is featured in this view, taken as NASA's Cassini spacecraft made one of its ring-grazing passes over the outer edges of Saturn's rings on January 16, 2017. Daphnis (5 miles across) orbits within the 26-mile wide Keeler Gap."

 

 

"Tight lines in Saturn's rings imaged on June 3, 2017."

[J-BAR #18287]

Wow.

[Pat Riot]

All this beauty has existed for thousands and thousands of years. Mind boggling.

[Abilene Slim SASS 81783]

One of the scientists was asked why the mission had to end and he said, "A billion miles from home and not a gas station in sight."

[Sedalia Dave]

Nothing is more beautiful than the universe that surrounds us.

 

RIP Cassini You did your job above and beyond all expectations

[Marshal Mo Hare, SASS #45984]

It was decided to burn it up entering Saturn, because it might actually contain bacteria from Earth which cou;d someday affect some life form.  Alternatives were to just let it be space junk or to crash it into one of Saturn's moons, neither of which would have killed any bacteria.

[Badlands Bob #61228]

It must be hard to work on a successful billion dollar project for 20 years and then intentionally crash it into the planet.  

[Utah Bob #35998]

Helluva a retirement gift for ol Cassini.

[Subdeacon Joe]

7 minutes ago, Utah Bob #35998 said:

Helluva a retirement gift for ol Cassini.

 

 

Or one helluva retirement gift from her to her crew.

[Rye Miles #13621]

Great pictures Joe, thanks! Saturn is by far the most beautiful planet out there!

[Ron "Ironhead" Smith]

13 hours ago, Badlands Bob #61228 said:

It must be hard to work on a successful billion dollar project for 20 years and then intentionally crash it into the planet.  

 

Not really, when you build these things you know this is how it has to end sometimes. What's hard is when launch vehicles blow up and destroy years of work before it can even start its mission. What's awesome is when something you helped build is still going far beyond its predicted lifetime. Even better is when folks like y'all enjoy the results of the missions.