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cassini

NASA's Cassini probe has been studying Saturn and its moons since 2005, and it's about time for the spacecraft to call it a day. The probe is running low on fuel, only scientists intend to become the near out of Cassini before it'due south no longer capable of doing science. Earlier this twelvemonth, mission managers at NASA'south Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) kicked off the Grand Finale, which will somewhen send Cassini spiraling into the clouds of Saturn. We're about to get a little preview of that effect as Cassini's most recent dive at the gas giant sent information technology through the upper temper, by far the closest it's ever been to the planet.

Cassini has dropped into a lower orbit than its other recent passes, which were aimed equally the gap between the innermost ring and the planet's atmosphere. This is the showtime of five ultra-close orbits, which volition somewhen end in the satellite falling into the clouds, never to be seen again. The satellite skimmed merely i,600km (one,000 miles) to a higher place the deject tops in the early forenoon Monday (GMT), giving it a sense of taste of Saturn'southward temper.

Scientists believe almost 75 per centum of Saturn'due south mass is hydrogen, with well-nigh of the remainder helium. Saturn is known to radiate more energy than information technology absorbs from the lord's day, then there'south a net loss of gravitational free energy. Getting a more authentic measurement of gases in Saturn's upper atmosphere by flying through it could assist improve measurements of the planet's inner composition. The data could also help to pivot down the exact length of Saturn'southward day.

In each successive pass, drag will pull Cassini further downwards into Saturn's gravity well. That means information technology will demand to run its thrusters to maintain a stable trajectory. When the information from its near recent pass is analyzed, JPL mission managers believe they volition have the necessary data to send the probe lower on its next four orbits.

On September 15th, NASA expects the probe to crash into the atmosphere. For the time being, Cassini is still live and sending dorsum images. All the same, nosotros'll accept to look another day or 2 for the latest images to exist sent back, as the probe makes another loop around the planet and gets its antenna oriented at Earth. The plan for Cassini's final swoop is to utilise what piffling fuel is left at that fourth dimension to keep the antenna pointed at Earth for as long every bit possible. Hopefully, we'll keep receiving information from the spacecraft right up until the stop. Not only does this get u.s. more data, but it also ensures that Cassini doesn't one twenty-four hours crash-land on a moon similar Enceladus, which some speculate could exist abode to microbial life.