Cassini mission ends with a plunge into Saturn's atmosphere
Posted: Sat, Sep 16, 2017, 9:06 AM ET (1306 GMT)
NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn ended Friday as the spacecraft plunged into the atmosphere of Saturn. Spacecraft controllers received the last signals from the spacecraft at 7:55 am EDT (1155 GMT) as expected, as the spacecraft entered the planet's atmosphere and disintegrated. NASA ended the mission in this manner in order to prevent a possible future collision of the spacecraft with the potentially habitable moons Enceladus and Titan. Cassini, launched in 1997, had been in orbit around Saturn since mid-2004, studying the planet, its rings, and its moons. It also deployed the ESA-developed Huygens probe to Titan shortly after arriving at the planet.
NASA's Cassini mission to Saturn ended Friday as the spacecraft plunged into the atmosphere of Saturn. Spacecraft controllers received the last signals from the spacecraft at 7:55 am EDT (1155 GMT) as expected, as the spacecraft entered the planet's atmosphere and disintegrated. NASA ended the mission in this manner in order to prevent a possible future collision of the spacecraft with the potentially habitable moons Enceladus and Titan. Cassini, launched in 1997, had been in orbit around Saturn since mid-2004, studying the planet, its rings, and its moons. It also deployed the ESA-developed Huygens probe to Titan shortly after arriving at the planet.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Manufacturing defect blamed for lost nozzle on second Vulcan launch
Posted: Sun, Mar 16 3:21 PM ET (1921 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Tuesday, March 18
These Space Companies Compete for Lucrative NASA Contracts—They Also Support Each Other
New York Observer — 5:51 am ET (0951 GMT) History-making Blue Ghost lunar lander sends one last message from the moon
CNN — 5:51 am ET (0951 GMT) U.S. Space Force To Award 2 Satcom Programs No Earlier Than Mid-2025
Aviation Week — 5:49 am ET (0949 GMT) Blue Origin rocket engine arrives at Museum of Flight
KIRO-TV Seattle — 5:49 am ET (0949 GMT) Outgoing Commerce Official Shreds Elon Musk’s Starlink in Final Email
The New Republic — 5:46 am ET (0946 GMT) |
