Cassini: Mission To Saturn - Unmanned Spaceflight.com

Cassini: Mission To Saturn, New Scientist Special Report

ljk4-1 View Member Profile	Jan 12 2006, 09:02 PM Post #1
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430	Cassini: Mission to Saturn Special Report The mission is a $3 billion, 4-year tour of the ringed planet. Catch the latest astounding discoveries, plus our new Expert Guide, including an updated FAQ, graphics and more... http://www.newscientistspace.com/channel/s...cassini-huygens -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined, and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853

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Rob Pinnegar View Member Profile	Jan 16 2006, 02:46 PM Post #2
Member Group: Members Posts: 509 Joined: 2-July 05 From: Calgary, Alberta Member No.: 426	Could it be that they're just recalibrating the cameras with these apparently random shots? That's been mentioned on these forums before.

ljk4-1 View Member Profile	Jan 16 2006, 04:09 PM Post #3
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430	The Huygens landing: one year on One year ago this week, on 14 January 2005, ESA’s Huygens probe reached the upper layer of Titan’s atmosphere and landed on the surface after a parachute descent 2 hours and 28 minutes later. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygen...VB6MZCIE_0.html -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined, and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853

ljk4-1 View Member Profile	Jan 16 2006, 05:44 PM Post #4
Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2454 Joined: 8-July 05 From: NGC 5907 Member No.: 430	Though these articles are not available for free online, I thought the members ought to know what New Scientist has released in print. SATURN SPECIAL: RINGING IN THE CHANGES Saturn is the jewel of the solar system. Its beautiful rings make the second largest planet unique. Together with its diverse collection of moons and unusual magnetic field, they put the entire planetary system high on space scientists' itinerary to explore. And now we are getting the chance. The Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn 18 months ago after a seven-year journey. It is armed with a massive arsenal of instruments that cannot help but batter answers out of Saturn. And so far it has not disappointed: Cassini has already scrutinised many facets of this marvellous world and is overturning much of what we thought we knew about it... http://www.newscientistspace.com/channel/s.../mg18925341.100 IN THE LOOP Saturn's rings are among the greatest puzzles in the solar system. And they are certainly the gaudiest of their kind, far outshining the faint trails of dust that circle the other giant planets. The Cassini spacecraft is now giving us a remarkable view of the rings, revealing far more than their static beauty. Over the past 18 months, the spacecraft's cameras have captured dynamic changes, watching as the rings are teased into fantastic shapes by passing moons. The deepest mystery Cassini must help to solve is the origin of these iconic rings... http://www.newscientistspace.com/channel/s.../mg18925341.200 MOTLEY CREW Compared with the appropriately named Titan, Saturn's other moons are small fry. Roll them all together and you would get a sphere only around 2000 kilometres across, much smaller than our moon. And yet these little moons are not just boring lumps of ice and rock. Each is a miniature world, with its own character and story to tell. Why does Iapetus look like a walnut? Why did most of Saturn's moons all form 4.5 billion years ago? Why is the pocket-sized landscape of Enceladus so twisted and fractured? And how did Saturn end up with such a ragtag bunch of moons anyway? http://www.newscientistspace.com/channel/s.../mg18925341.300 TOUCHDOWN ON TITAN Titan is too good to be a moon. If it were set free to orbit the sun instead of Saturn, it would be considered one of the most remarkable planets in the solar system, far more engaging than that dreary dustball Mars. Yet 18 months ago we knew almost nothing about Saturn's largest satellite - the second biggest in our system after Jupiter's Ganymede. Now planetary scientists are discovering that Titan is surprisingly Earth-like, with prominent riverbeds and dunes, hills and muddy plains. But there's a twist... http://www.newscientistspace.com/channel/s.../mg18925341.400 -------------------- "After having some business dealings with men, I am occasionally chagrined, and feel as if I had done some wrong, and it is hard to forget the ugly circumstance. I see that such intercourse long continued would make one thoroughly prosaic, hard, and coarse. But the longest intercourse with Nature, though in her rudest moods, does not thus harden and make coarse. A hard, sensible man whom we liken to a rock is indeed much harder than a rock. From hard, coarse, insensible men with whom I have no sympathy, I go to commune with the rocks, whose hearts are comparatively soft." - Henry David Thoreau, November 15, 1853

The Messenger View Member Profile	Jan 18 2006, 01:05 AM Post #5
Member Group: Members Posts: 624 Joined: 10-August 05 Member No.: 460	QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Jan 16 2006, 10:44 AM) Though these articles are not available for free online, I thought the members ought to know what New Scientist has released in print. SATURN SPECIAL: ...The deepest mystery Cassini must help to solve is the origin of these iconic rings... If that origin includes where the energy is coming from to power all the out-gasing from Enceladus I would be prone to agree. A close second would be: What on earth is the surface of Titan made out of?

Posts in this topic

ljk4-1 Cassini: Mission To Saturn Jan 12 2006, 09:02 PM

Bob Shaw Perhaps somebody can explain this: http://saturn.... Jan 14 2006, 11:45 PM

The Messenger QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Jan 14 2006, 04:45 PM)Perha... Jan 15 2006, 06:38 AM

Bob Shaw QUOTE (The Messenger @ Jan 15 2006, 07:38 AM)... Jan 15 2006, 12:22 PM

JRehling QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Jan 14 2006, 03:45 PM)Perha... Jan 15 2006, 09:11 AM

nprev QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Jan 14 2006, 04:45 PM)Perha... Jan 16 2006, 03:21 AM

Rob Pinnegar Could it be that they're just recalibrating th... Jan 16 2006, 02:46 PM

ljk4-1 The Huygens landing: one year on One year ago thi... Jan 16 2006, 04:09 PM

ljk4-1 Though these articles are not available for free o... Jan 16 2006, 05:44 PM

The Messenger QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Jan 16 2006, 10:44 AM)Th... Jan 18 2006, 01:05 AM

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