Saturn update
Jan. 6th, 2008 09:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mmcirvinCassini has finished its latest time near the equatorial plane and is back at high inclinations, mostly photographing the rings and Saturn itself. Some nice images of Saturn are coming out of this, and surprising science results--Saturn's poles both turn out to be relatively hot, for reasons that are not understood. Eventually Cassini will be taking pictures from an orbit closer to polar than has ever been achieved before. If you browse the most recent raw images, you'll also see some nice medium-distance shots of Dione (comparable to Voyager images) and what's apparently the star Antares seen through the rings.
This is the last phase of Cassini's primary mission, as planned (in the broadest outlines) prior to arrival at Saturn; when this is done, the mission will be considered a complete success, but I believe Cassini is already funded for an extended mission with planning based on primary-mission results.
This is the last phase of Cassini's primary mission, as planned (in the broadest outlines) prior to arrival at Saturn; when this is done, the mission will be considered a complete success, but I believe Cassini is already funded for an extended mission with planning based on primary-mission results.