{"id":14148,"date":"2017-04-05T16:35:23","date_gmt":"2017-04-05T20:35:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14148"},"modified":"2017-04-05T16:36:03","modified_gmt":"2017-04-05T20:36:03","slug":"video-cassinis-grand-finale-at-saturn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14148","title":{"rendered":"Video: Cassini&#8217;s Grand Finale at Saturn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After nearly 2 decades in service, the <a href=\"http:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cassini spacecraft<\/a> orbiting Saturn will end its career by diving into the gas giant&#8217;s atmosphere on September 15th:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov\/mission\/grand-finale\/overview\/\" target=\"_d\">The Grand Finale<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>Between April and September 2017, Cassini will undertake a daring set of orbits that is, in many ways, like a whole new mission. Following a final close flyby of Saturn&#8217;s moon Titan, Cassini will leap over the planet&#8217;s icy rings and begin a series of 22 weekly dives between the planet and the rings.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xrGAQCq9BMU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>More about the final days of Cassini:<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-s-cassini-mission-prepares-for-grand-finale-at-saturn\" target=\"_d\">NASA\u2019s Cassini Mission Prepares for &#8216;Grand Finale&#8217; at Saturn<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NASA&#8217;s Cassini spacecraft, in orbit around Saturn since 2004, is about to begin the final chapter of its remarkable story. On Wednesday, April 26, the spacecraft will make the first in a series of dives through the 1,500-mile-wide (2,400-kilometer) gap between Saturn and its rings as part of the mission\u2019s grand finale.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>&#8220;No spacecraft has ever gone through the unique region that we&#8217;ll attempt to boldly cross 22 times,&#8221; said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. &#8220;What we learn from Cassini\u2019s daring final orbits will further our understanding of how giant planets, and planetary systems everywhere, form and evolve. This is truly discovery in action to the very end.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>During its time at Saturn, Cassini has made numerous dramatic discoveries, including a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/cassini-finds-global-ocean-in-saturns-moon-enceladus\">global ocean<\/a> that showed indications of hydrothermal activity within the icy moon Enceladus, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/jpl\/cassini-explores-a-methane-sea-on-titan\">liquid methane seas<\/a> on its moon Titan.<\/p>\n<p>Now 20 years since launching from Earth, and after 13 years orbiting the ringed planet, Cassini is running low on fuel. In 2010, NASA decided to end the mission with a purposeful plunge into Saturn this year in order to protect and preserve the planet&#8217;s moons for future exploration \u2013 especially the potentially habitable Enceladus.<\/p>\n<p>But the beginning of the end for Cassini is, in many ways, like a whole new mission. Using expertise gained over the mission&#8217;s many years, Cassini engineers designed a flight plan that will maximize the scientific value of sending the spacecraft toward its fateful plunge into the planet on Sept. 15. As it ticks off its terminal orbits during the next five months, the mission will rack up an impressive list of scientific achievements.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>&#8220;This planned conclusion for Cassini&#8217;s journey was far and away the preferred choice for the mission&#8217;s scientists,&#8221; said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California. &#8220;Cassini will make some of its most extraordinary observations at the end of its long life.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The mission team hopes to gain powerful insights into the planet&#8217;s internal structure and the origins of the rings, obtain the first-ever sampling of Saturn&#8217;s atmosphere and particles coming from the main rings, and capture the closest-ever views of Saturn&#8217;s clouds and inner rings. The team currently is making final checks on the list of commands the robotic probe will follow to carry out its science observations, called a sequence, as it begins the finale. That sequence is scheduled to be uploaded to the spacecraft on Tuesday, April 11.<\/p>\n<p>Cassini will transition to its grand finale orbits, with a last close flyby of Saturn&#8217;s giant moon Titan, on Saturday, April 22. As it has many times over the course of the mission, Titan&#8217;s gravity will bend Cassini&#8217;s flight path. Cassini&#8217;s orbit then will shrink so that instead of making its closest approach to Saturn just outside the rings, it will begin passing between the planet and the inner edge of its rings.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>&#8220;Based on our best models, we expect the gap to be clear of particles large enough to damage the spacecraft. But we&#8217;re also being cautious by using our large antenna as a shield on the first pass, as we determine whether it&#8217;s safe to expose the science instruments to that environment on future passes,&#8221; said Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at JPL. &#8220;Certainly there are some unknowns, but that&#8217;s one of the reasons we&#8217;re doing this kind of daring exploration at the end of the mission.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In mid-September, following a distant encounter with Titan, the spacecraft&#8217;s path will be bent so that it dives into the planet. When Cassini makes its final plunge into Saturn&#8217;s atmosphere on Sept. 15, it will send data from several instruments \u2013 most notably, data on the atmosphere&#8217;s composition \u2013 until its signal is lost.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><em>&#8220;Cassini&#8217;s grand finale is so much more than a final plunge,&#8221; said Spilker. &#8220;It&#8217;s a thrilling final chapter for our intrepid spacecraft, and so scientifically rich that it was the clear and obvious choice for how to end the mission.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Resources on Cassini&#8217;s grand finale, including images and video, are available at:\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov\/mission\/grand-finale\/grand-finale-resources\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov\/mission\/grand-finale\/grand-finale-resources<\/a><\/p>\n<p>An animated video about Cassini&#8217;s Grand Finale is available [above.]<\/p>\n<p>The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. JPL manages the mission for NASA&#8217;s Science Mission Directorate. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.<\/p>\n<p>More information about Cassini is at:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/cassini\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/cassini<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\">http:\/\/saturn.jpl.nasa.gov<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">====<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none;\" src=\"\/\/rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/cm?o=1&amp;p=12&amp;l=ur1&amp;category=amzn_basics_elctnics&amp;banner=10PFV81ZPVCWKXE6S9G2&amp;f=ifr&amp;linkID=caaa70725fb7c5b929777e8413b07b34&amp;t=hobbyspace&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After nearly 2 decades in service, the Cassini spacecraft orbiting Saturn will end its career by diving into the gas giant&#8217;s atmosphere on September 15th:\u00a0The Grand Finale. Between April and September 2017, Cassini will undertake a daring set of orbits that is, in many ways, like a whole new mission. Following a final close flyby &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14148\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Video: Cassini&#8217;s Grand Finale at Saturn<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[87,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14148","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-et-al","category-space-systems"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-3Gc","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":14274,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14274","url_meta":{"origin":14148,"position":0},"title":"Video: A 360-degree view of Cassini diving between Saturn and the rings","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 26, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This interactive video from NASA JPL allows you to scan Saturn and the rings as the Cassini spacecraft makes one of its dives\u00a0between the two before the\u00a0Grand Finale\u00a0in September. Dive between Saturn and its rings with NASA's Cassini spacecraft in the final chapter of its mission. In this 360-degree video,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=98"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/pia21445_figb_zoomed1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14909,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14909","url_meta":{"origin":14148,"position":1},"title":"Videos: Cassini nears its final orbit around Saturn","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 14, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"On Friday, the Cassini probe will end its 13 year mission at the ringed planet when its final orbit takes the spacecraft into Saturn's atmosphere:\u00a0Cassini Spacecraft Makes Its Final Approach to Saturn | NASA NASA's\u00a0Cassini\u00a0spacecraft is on final approach to Saturn, following confirmation by mission navigators that it is on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=87"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/maize_51-1024x576.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14286,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14286","url_meta":{"origin":14148,"position":2},"title":"Video: Cassini flies between Saturn and its rings for first time","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 27, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cassini spacecraft survived its first pass through the gap between Saturn and its rings: NASA Spacecraft Dives Between Saturn and Its Rings\u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/BQmTdYPVJxM NASA's Cassini spacecraft is back in contact with Earth after its successful first-ever dive through the narrow gap between the planet Saturn and its rings on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=87"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/main_w001063601.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14919,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14919","url_meta":{"origin":14148,"position":3},"title":"Video: Cassini mission to Saturn comes to an end","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cassini spacecraft\u00a0made its final orbit of Saturn this morning: NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Ends Its Historic Exploration of Saturn\u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/V5Ho30EMRm4 A thrilling epoch in the exploration of our solar system came to a close today, as NASA's\u00a0Cassini spacecraft\u00a0made a fateful plunge into the atmosphere of Saturn, ending its 13-year tour\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=98"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/pia21889_enceladus_figa_color-a1-1024x1022.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":13541,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13541","url_meta":{"origin":14148,"position":4},"title":"Cassini to graze Saturn&#8217;s rings and view moons close up in its mission finale","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 23, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Cassini spacecraft during its final year at Saturn will make some death defying dives bear\u00a0the edges of the rings: Now in its final year of operations, on Nov. 30, 2016, NASA\u2019s Cassini mission will begin a daring set of ring-grazing orbits, skimming past the outside edge of Saturn's main rings.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Europa, Titan, &amp; other deep space sites","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=98"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/gj8l2f9prYk\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":15094,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=15094","url_meta":{"origin":14148,"position":5},"title":"More views of Saturn&#8217;s rings from the Cassini Finale","author":"TopSpacer","date":"October 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"A wonderful view of Saturn as seen by Cassini about a month before the probe's mission ended by entering the planet's atmosphere: The Grace of Saturn Saturn's graceful lanes of orbiting ice -- its iconic rings -- wind their way around the planet to pass beyond the horizon in this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=87"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/pia21352-10411-1024x1024.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14148"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14150,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14148\/revisions\/14150"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14148"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}