What Did We Learn About Saturn from the Cassini Space Probe?

May 1, 2017 11:51 am

After 20 years, NASA’s Cassini space probe will see its journey come to an end on September 15, when it will be sent spiraling to its destruction in the atmosphere of Saturn.

The Cassini launched in 1997 and needed seven years to reach Saturn. It has since allowed for unprecedented exposure to the planet and its moon Titan. This moon is the only object in space other than Earth where we have found evidence of surface liquid—it also has a subsurface ocean that would seem an ideal incubator for alien life.

Cassini’s final task may have been its most daring, as it traveled through a gap between Saturn and the planet’s rings. This allowed it to send back images from an unprecedented proximity to the planet. Unfortunately, Cassini’s fuel reserves are running out, which is why an end date has been selected for a mission that lasted two decades.

Read more about Cassini’s discoveries in The Guardian.

Watch the video below to get a deeper understanding of Cassini and its work.

 

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