What Did Cassini Teach Us? Remembering Cassini and Saying Goodbye | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

NASA's Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1997, has provided valuable insights into Saturn, its rings, and its moons, including the discovery of water ice geysers on Enceladus. The mission will end on September 15, 2017, with the spacecraft crashing into Saturn.

Key Insights

• 🌗 Cassini's mission at Saturn lasted for 13 years, providing valuable information about the planet's atmosphere, rings, and moons.
• 💁 The spacecraft's observations enhanced our understanding of Saturn's weather patterns, including lightning storms and the formation of a massive hexagonal storm at the planet's northern pole.
• 😋 Cassini's detailed study of Saturn's rings revealed their composition, thin structure, and dynamic nature.
• 👻 The spacecraft's exploration of Saturn's moons, such as Titan and Enceladus, unveiled their complex geologies, presence of lakes and oceans, and potential for hosting life.
• ❤️‍🩹 Cassini's mission will end on September 15, 2017, with the intentional crash of the spacecraft into Saturn to avoid contamination of potentially habitable moons.

Transcript

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Questions & Answers

Q: What did Cassini reveal about Saturn's weather patterns?

Cassini observed the changing weather patterns on Saturn, including lightning storms that illuminated the cloudtops at night. It also witnessed a massive storm in 2010 that brought up water ice from deep within the planet's atmosphere.

Q: How thick are Saturn's rings?

Despite their grand appearance, Saturn's rings are actually quite thin, measuring just 10 meters thick in some areas. Cassini's detailed observations helped confirm the rings' composition as ice particles ranging in size from tiny dust particles to mountain-sized fragments.

Q: What did Cassini discover about Saturn's moon Enceladus?

Cassini discovered jets of water ice erupting from Enceladus' southern pole, indicating the presence of an underground ocean of liquid water heated by Saturn's tidal interactions. This finding raises the possibility of habitability and potential for life on this moon.

Q: Why will the Cassini mission end on September 15, 2017?

To avoid the risk of contaminating Saturn's potentially life-supporting moons, NASA has chosen to end the Cassini mission by crashing the spacecraft into Saturn. This allows control over its trajectory and ensures the protection of these environments.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Cassini spacecraft has been studying Saturn for the past 13 years, providing in-depth observations and discoveries.

• It observed Saturn's weather patterns, lightning storms, and the massive hexagonal storm at its northern pole.

• Cassini also revealed new insights about Saturn's rings, including their composition, dynamics, and the presence of structures known as waves.