Cassini Spacecraft

Cassini Spacecraft Latest News

A fresh look at data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has uncovered more evidence that Saturn’s moon Enceladus may be able to support life.

About Cassini Spacecraft

• It is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian space agency (ASI).
• Cassini was a sophisticated robotic spacecraft sent to study Saturn and its complex system of rings and moons in unprecedented detail.
• It was launched on October 15, 1997. It was one of the largest interplanetary spacecraft.
• The mission consisted of NASA’s Cassini orbiter, which was the first space probe to orbit Saturn, and the ESA’s Huygens probe, which landed on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon

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Objectives of Cassini Spacecraft

• Saturn—Study cloud properties and atmospheric composition, winds and temperatures, internal structure and rotation, ionosphere, origin, and evolution
• Rings—Observe their structure and composition, dynamical processes, interrelation of rings and satellites, dust and micrometeoroid environment.
• Titan—Study abundances of atmospheric constituents, distribution of trace gases and aerosols, winds and temperatures, composition and state of the surface, and upper atmosphere
• Saturn’s Magnetosphere—Study its structure and electric currents; composition, sources, and sinks of particles within it; dynamics; interaction with the solar wind, satellites, and rings; Titan’s interaction with solar wind and magnetosphere

Components of Cassini Spacecraft

• The instruments on board Cassini included radar to map the cloud-covered surface of Titan and a magnetometer to study Saturn’s magnetic field. 
• The disk-shaped Huygens probe was mounted on the side of Cassini and carried six instruments designed to study the atmosphere and surface of Titan.

Key Facts about Enceladus

• It is named after a giant in ancient Greek mythology,
• It is one of the innermost moons of the ringed gas giant Saturn.
• It has a diameter of 313 miles (504 km) and orbits Saturn at a distance of roughly 148,000 miles (238,000 km).
• Scientists believe Enceladus possesses the chemical ingredients needed for life and has hydrothermal vents releasing hot, mineral-rich water into its ocean, the same type of environment that may have spawned Earth’s first living organisms.
• Its ocean resides under a crust of ice about 12-19 miles (20-30 km) thick.

Source: DD News