Cassini:- The final Chapter

The Unmanned Iron Man:-Cassini

Its 22,April "The Earth Day" but where we are looking at? Right at the "Hero" which left the Earth years ago but still serving its home planet CASSINI.

Artist impression of Cassini orbiting the Saturn.

As we all know that Cassini was launched on October 15, 1997. it is a Flagship class NASA-ESA-ASI robotic spacecraft, the fourth space probe to visit Saturn and the first to enter its orbit.It has studied the planet and its moons since arriving in 2004 and has sent a lot data which has helped the astronomers to study about saturn and its moons, but after almost 20 years since its launch it is running out of Fuel. NASA/JPL surely has some plans to bid a heroic farewell. before moving on to the final chapter let's look for the accomplishments it achieved since these years.

What we have learnt?

Picture taken during Flyby

Image of Titan taken by Cassini.

• Since its launch Cassini has made several Gravity-Assists flybys twice at Venus which helped it to gain momentum to cross the Asteroid belt and once with earth.
• During its Jupiter flyby it sent around 26,000 images getting closest to the planet on December 30, 2000. it produced the most  etailed global color portrait of the planet yet.
• A major finding of the flyby which came on March 6, 2003 was of Jupiter's atmospheric circulation. Dark "belts" alternate with Light "zones" in the atmosphere.
• In total Cassini has discovered seven new moons orbiting Saturn namely Methone, Pallene, Polydeuces, Daphnis, Anthe, Aegaeon and S/2009 S 1.
• On July 1, 2004 It Finally Managed to get in the Orbit of Saturn.
• Detailed study of Saturn's largest Moon Titan, and it released  the Huygens probe on December 25, 2004.
• Radio Occultations of Saturn's rings was performed in May, 2005

Cassini has been a Spectator of The Great Storm of 2010 and its Aftermaths and discovered that it was the largest, hottest Stratospheric Vortex ever detected in the solar system, Initially being larger than the Jupiter's Great Red spot.

Northern Hemisphere Storm in 2011

Cassini:-Grand Finale

The final Mission Of Cassini is Planned For 20 Dive-ins into the Saturn's Inner Rings, once every Seven Days to study the untouched region of the rings then Entering into Saturn's Atmosphere on September 15, 2017. This method was chosen because it is Imperative to ensure protection and prevent biological contamination to any of the moons of Saturn thought to offer potential habitability. 

 SOON CASSINI WILL BE THE PART OF THE PLANET IT HAS OBSERVED SO KEENLY SINCE THESE YEARS.

Saturn by CASSINI, 2016

STILL THERE ARE MANY DISCOVERIES TO MAKE. MANY TRUTHS LIE IN THE DARK MATTER. SO, KEEP EXPLORING...