'Saturn's orbit has brought it so close to the sun that it is extremely difficult to see even with the best of telescopes. Fortunately, we have Cassini in the front row.'
This month's International Year of Astronomy feature explores how Saturn has been a consistent source of surprises for 400 years.
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Cassini-Huygens to Saturn
Studying Saturn and its rings and moons.
› Mission home page
Dawn
Dawn, the first spacecraft ever planned to orbit two different bodies after leaving Earth, will orbit Vesta and Ceres, two of the largest asteroids in the solar system.
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Epoxi
The Epoxi mission recycles the already "in flight" Deep Impact spacecraft to investigate two distinct celestial targets of opportunity.
› Mission overview
Mars Exploration Rovers
Spirit and Opportunity have been exploring Mars since January 2004. Clues found in some rocks indicate liquid water once covered the ground.
› Mission home page
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
This orbiter has the most powerful telescopic camera ever to another planet, plus five other scientific instruments.
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Mars Odyssey
This orbiter studies Mars' surface composition and radiation environment and has instruments to detect water and shallow buried ice.
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Microwave Instrument
on Rosetta Orbiter
This JPL instrument will study gases given off by a comet as the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft orbits the comet. Rendezvous with the comet is scheduled for 2014.
› Rosetta home page
Stardust-NExT
The Stardust-NExT mission recycles the already "in flight" Stardust spacecraft to flyby and investigate comet Tempel 1 in Feb. 2011.
› Mission overview
Voyager
Voyager 1 and 2 flew past Jupiter and Saturn. Voyager 2 also flew by Uranus and Neptune. Voyager 1 is now approaching interstellar space.
› Mission home page
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Successful Flight Through Enceladus Plume
Cassini has started sending data back from its Nov. 2 flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus.
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Another Halloween Flies By
The Cassini team sends "bats wishes" for a happy, healthy and fun Halloween
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Amnesia-Like Behavior Returns on Spirit
Until Oct. 24, NASA's Mars Exploration Rover had gone more than six months without an episode of amnesia-like symptoms like those that appeared on four occasions earlier this year.
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What's Up for October?
This month you can see the Andromeda Galaxy, the Milky Way and Jupiter. And for Halloween a late night orange treat, Mars! |
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Saturn Family Tour
This video showcases the Saturnian system, beginning with the planet itself and panning out to its newest addition -- an enormous ring discovered in infrared light by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. |
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NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has revealed frozen water hiding just below the surface of mid-latitude Mars.
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