Full Version: Cassini!
So, who else is PSYCHED for Saturn Orbit Insertion?!
What is being inserted where????
Jeeeeez! Is anybody here other than me interested in science? At all???
http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&e...658289610%2exml
http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&e...658289610%2exml
| QUOTE |
| Jeeeeez! Is anybody here other than me interested in science? At all??? |
lol, I am interested in science in general but don't know much about stars and space...I did take a course in astronomy while still in High School but ummm it was a while back so not much has stuck with me...
tho I wish I did have more time to study but that doesn't seem to be happening anytime soon *sigh*
| QUOTE (cypr @ Jun 30 2004, 10:09 AM) |
| Jeeeeez! Is anybody here other than me interested in science? At all??? http://news.google.com/news?num=30&hl=en&e...658289610%2exml |
Great! Look forward to seeing the pics. Gas giants are coooool! I wanted to be an astronomer but I wasnt good enough at maths - still love reading about it though, especially cosmology. I love other sciences too, paleaontology, genetics whatever 
OK it seems that most of you guys aren't really familiar with this mission, so I guess I'll fill you in.
This spacecraft, called "Cassini," has been travelling through space for 7 years on its way to the beautiful planet Saturn. Saturn has only been visited by a small number of spacecrafts in the past, and those were all in the 70s, so we're sure to learn a LOT more about it, as well as its 33+ moons and its rings. In order for this two-story spacecraft to enter Saturn's orbit, it will actually pass THROUGH one of the rings, which is totally awesome. That will happen tommorrow night (10:34PM eastern standard time in the US). Cassini will spend 4 years at Saturn, studying it intensely.
The most anitipated aspect of this mission will happen January of 2005. The most intriguing moon of Saturn is Titan. The special thing about Titan is that it has a very thick ATMOSPHERE - yes, just like Earth - of hydrocarbon (ORGANIC) gasses. Tests that we have done from here on this moon have indicated CONTINENT-LIKE features on its surface (we can't actually see the surface, since its covered by such a thick atmosphere of clouds). It is possible that Titan actually has OCEANS of liquid hydrocarbons - a situation almost identical to Earth billions of years ago. This means Titan may be an exact copy of what WE looked like a long time ago - when LIFE first started, and where LIFE may soon start (or has already started!) there. Cassini will drop a probe INTO Titan, where it will parachute through the atmosphere, taking a bunch of measurements and pictures. Then, when it lands, it will be able to tell us if it is FLOATING on an ocean.
It's one of the most EXCITING missions in a LONG time!!
This spacecraft, called "Cassini," has been travelling through space for 7 years on its way to the beautiful planet Saturn. Saturn has only been visited by a small number of spacecrafts in the past, and those were all in the 70s, so we're sure to learn a LOT more about it, as well as its 33+ moons and its rings. In order for this two-story spacecraft to enter Saturn's orbit, it will actually pass THROUGH one of the rings, which is totally awesome. That will happen tommorrow night (10:34PM eastern standard time in the US). Cassini will spend 4 years at Saturn, studying it intensely.
The most anitipated aspect of this mission will happen January of 2005. The most intriguing moon of Saturn is Titan. The special thing about Titan is that it has a very thick ATMOSPHERE - yes, just like Earth - of hydrocarbon (ORGANIC) gasses. Tests that we have done from here on this moon have indicated CONTINENT-LIKE features on its surface (we can't actually see the surface, since its covered by such a thick atmosphere of clouds). It is possible that Titan actually has OCEANS of liquid hydrocarbons - a situation almost identical to Earth billions of years ago. This means Titan may be an exact copy of what WE looked like a long time ago - when LIFE first started, and where LIFE may soon start (or has already started!) there. Cassini will drop a probe INTO Titan, where it will parachute through the atmosphere, taking a bunch of measurements and pictures. Then, when it lands, it will be able to tell us if it is FLOATING on an ocean.
It's one of the most EXCITING missions in a LONG time!!
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.