Inclination Options

[jmknapp]

Seems like a while since any pretty images of the rings have come along, because Cassini has been squarely in the ring plane for so long. This situation is to continue until July when the orbital inclination will begin increasing rapidly:



That chart is based on information predicted by the SPICE kernels. Zooming in on July shows the first step in this maneuver:



It begins at about midnight July 22. Sure enough, that's when Cassini flies over the north pole of Titan, using the gravity assist to send it southward out of the ring plane:



Shortly thereafter, Cassini will begin returning perspectives like this:



A long dry spell for rings fans!