JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Lecture Series .

September 2016 - Revealing Saturn: Cassini Science Highlights and the Grand Finale

This is an artists concept of NASA's Cassini spacecraft during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing.
This is an artists concept of NASA's Cassini spacecraft during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine has begun firing.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Full Image Details

Revealing Saturn: Cassini Science Highlights and the Grand Finale

September 22 & 23

The Cassini mission’s findings have revolutionized our understanding of Saturn, its complex rings, the amazing assortment of moons and the planet’s dynamic magnetic environment. The robotic spacecraft arrived in 2004 after a 7-year flight from Earth, dropped a parachuted probe named Huygens to study the atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s big moon Titan, and commenced making astonishing discoveries that continue today.

Cassini’s current mission extension has led to some remarkable discoveries and more are expected when Cassini repeatedly dives between the innermost ring and the top of Saturn’s atmosphere during its final six months starting in April 2017. Late last year Cassini completed its final equatorial tour of Saturn’s icy satellites, culminating in a series of Enceladus encounters including a daring pass through the icy moon’s southern jets and plume.

The mission then began executing a series of Titan flybys, each of which increases the spacecraft’s inclination until it finally reaches nearly 64 degrees. At that point, in late November, the Cassini mission will embark on its final set of orbits: 20 F ring orbits with a periapsis just outside Saturn’s F ring, 22 Proximal orbits, the Grand Finale, with periapsis between the innermost D ring and Saturn, and finally, entry into Saturn’s atmosphere in September 2017.

What new puzzles will Cassini solve before it plunges into Saturn’s atmosphere rather than risk crashing into one of Saturn’s ocean worlds and contaminating it? Come and hear the story of recent science discoveries and the upcoming excitement during the final orbits. Dr. Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist, will present highlights of Cassini’s ambitious inquiry at Saturn and an overview of science observations in the final orbits. Dr. Earl Maize will discuss Cassini’s exciting challenges and promise of the final year of the mission, ultimately flying through a region where no spacecraft has ever flown before.

This flagship mission is a cooperative undertaking by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian space agency Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI).

Speaker(s):
Dr. Earl Maize, Cassini Project Manager, JPL
Dr. Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist, JPL

Original air date: September 22, 2016, at 7 p.m. PT (10 p.m. ET, 0200 UTC)

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018