Space & Astronomy

Cassini is destroyed as it flies in to Saturn

By T.K. Randall
September 15, 2017

Image: Surface of Titan
Credit: (PD) NASA After an incredible journey that began almost 20 years ago, NASA's long-lived Cassini spacecraft has wrapped up its historic mission in spectacular fashion - by diving straight in to the gas giant itself and becoming the first probe in history ever to directly sample Saturn's atmosphere.

During its time around Saturn, Cassini taught us more than anyone dared imagine, bringing the iconic gas giant and its spectacular rings in to sharp focus and revealing a miniature solar system of mysterious moons ranging from the icy world of Enceladus to the cloud-covered Titan.

Cassini gave us Saturn, but also gave us Earth — as only deep space could reveal: Small. Frail. Lonely. Steeped in darkness. pic.twitter.com/zjF6jNUFyU

— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 14, 2017

Cassini fell silent this morning at approximately 07:55 EDT.

"Things never will be quite the same for those of us on the Cassini team now that the spacecraft is no longer flying," said Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist. "But,we take comfort knowing that every time we look up at Saturn in the night sky, part of Cassini will be there, too."


Source: Popular Mechanics

Tags: Cassini, Saturn, Titan