Goodbye Cassini

Witnessing a spacecraft burn up after decades of operation is not something that happens very often. This week the Cassini-Huygens mission ended after a very successful 27 year trip to, and around, Saturn. It has really opened up this magical planet with many discoveries about the planet, it’s rings and also the many interesting moons.

One of my all-time favourite science videos was created from data and images sent to earth from the Huygens lander. Released from Cassini on December 25, 2004 and landing on Titan January 14, 2005, the video is a sped up 4 hour journey to the surface which also shows instrumentation and uses audio to indicate motions and instrument operations.

Credits: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Discoveries

A few important discoveries (of many) that Cassini made:

• Seven new moons orbiting Saturn: Methone, Pallene, Polydeuces, Daphnis, Anthe, Aegaeon, S/2009 S 1

• Water plumes on Enceladus, making it the first moon with an atmosphere and one of the best places to search for life

• Capturing amazing images of Saturn and Earth too on ‘The Day the Earth Smiled’

It just shows what can be done when people and organisations from around the world collaborate to achieve great things!