[X] My Assistant

[cIclops]

Real problems or more negative journalism?

Cassini probe shows signs of wear

[cIclops]

Here is a slightly different official view as given by the Cassini status report for April 6:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/...ini-040605.html

Considering that Cassini hasn't finished the first year of its four year primary mission in Saturn orbit and with a quarter of its instruments not performing properly, it seems odd that Mitchell says: "Cassini has been working remarkably well considering the duration and complexity of the mission."

[Jeff7]

Here is a slightly different official view as given by the Cassini status report for April 6:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/...ini-040605.html

Considering that Cassini hasn't finished the first year of its four year primary mission in Saturn orbit and with a quarter of its instruments not performing properly, it seems odd that Mitchell says: "Cassini has been working remarkably well considering the duration and complexity of the mission."

Well they have called Cassini the largest, most complicated probe ever sent to another planet. And they even sacrificed some of the extra features, like booms for the instruments - instead, they're fixed to the probe's main body.

7 years just to get there....quite a trip. And add a particularly active solar flare season to that.
I was a bit surprised though that they used the main antenna as a shield while going through the rings. It just didn't seem like a good thing to do - kind of useless to have a lot of data stored in a craft orbiting Saturn, unable to make the trip to Earth.
I just wonder if the antenna did a good enough job? The lens on the narrow angle camera has acquired a good bit of dust too.

[MahFL]

"I was a bit surprised though that they used the main antenna as a shield while going through the rings."

I believe the main antenna was designed to act as a shield as well as an antenna.