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Just out today,they've detected very high winds in Titans upper atmosphere!!Is it worse for Huygens probe as it descends into Titan??Who knows?Fingers crossed ???
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Not blasé. They know Huygens is high-risk, so it very probably will fail, but if it doesn't the potential scientific payback will be immense, so they are willing to gamble.
Actually, most of the science is done during the descent. the mission does not depend on it landing in one piece. It would just be an incredible bonus. (I really can't wait!)
Just out today,they've detected very high winds in Titans upper atmosphere!!
hmmm...fortunately Huygens doesn't have a dedicated landing spot. As long as it survives....
got a link?
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BBC has a report http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/natu … 846195.stm
(without details or impact) that there was a msg processing error on the Cassini breaking burn instruction. Anyone have further information?
Greg
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A prophecy ?
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Hi Cindy!
Maybe I've got the wrong end of the stick or something but I don't think Cassioli meant Huygens has no parachute.
I think the concern was that the parachute isn't designed to detach from the probe just before landing, thus risking the 'chute falling over Huygens like a shroud and obstructing camera views or fouling the antenna etc.
Don't know whether I'm being helpful here or just muddying the waters still further(?) ???
The word 'aerobics' came about when the gym instructors got together and said: If we're going to charge $10 an hour, we can't call it Jumping Up and Down. - Rita Rudner
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found something about the wind...
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*NASA TV is holding live coverage of "Cassini Pre-Orbital Rendezvous (Insertion)" today -- June 30 -- at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. This is a press conference.
--Cindy
::edit:: Info at space.com
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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Huygens has severaal parachutes deploying in order to make the descent a long-lasting event. The last chute is a rather small one, just to stabilize the spacecraft.
About the passing of the asteroids and of the gap between F- and G-rings.
Of course a transfer through the ecliptic plane is much cheaper than one with a significant inclination to it. Beside that it would make the transfer orbit between Earth and Jupiter more difficult. BTW the asteroids are not strictly in the ecliptic plane but will form a little torusly like band, so to reduce the risks you have to really turn up your inclination. Beside that, the density of particles is not as high as many people think.
It´s unavoidable Cassini has to pass the rings. The rings are stretching several Saturn-radii. It´s possible to put Cassini in a more or less polar orbit, but then also it has to pas the rings. The lower the height of Cassini in respect to Saturn, the less delta-v is required to turn the hyperbolic flight-path into an elliptical path around Saturn. So it´s worth to take the risk to reduce propellant costs dramatically. As I havee well undrestood (Im not sure) Cassini will change it´s orbit at some moment by giving a slight accelaration at apoapsis to bring the periapsis of the orbit beeyond the densest rings.
It will burn tomorrow!!
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About the passing of the asteroids and of the gap between F- and G-rings.
Beside that, the density of particles is not as high as many people think.
It´s unavoidable Cassini has to pass the rings. The rings are stretching several Saturn-radii.
*Hi bolbuyk: Of course -- passing through the gap (G and F rings) is the best route for Cassini. But still, it worries me a bit.
I have a level of anxiety about this mission (and Hugyens too) that I haven't felt with others. Don't know why (except perhaps my great affection for Saturn and its moons).
Julius Caeser and I both have our fingers crossed. :;):
--Cindy
::EDIT:: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 3246]Guide to orbital insertion! Includes time highlights!
*Cassini will take pics of rings too. GO CASSINI!!!
---
-:Also:-
Saturns]http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/article_1483.html?2962004]Saturn's rotation a "mystery"
Discrepancies between Cassini's data and that of Voyager.
---
::EDIT 2:: This from spacedaily.com's "Saturn Daily":
"Although the Cassini spacecraft is scheduled to officially arrive at the planet Saturn on June 30, scientists studying the planet's magnetosphere received an official welcome on June 27 when a burst of plasma wave noise indicated that Cassini had crossed the planet's bow shock - the region where charged particles flowing outward from the sun collide with Saturn's magnetic field or magnetosphere."
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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it is getting very serious now, make or break time is starting
Cassini is doing a gravity assist to slow down
There are also more images out from the Cassini-huygens mission, begins its detailed survey of the Saturn ring region for new moons, Cassini has recovered the tiny moon Atlas
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … _238_1.jpg
and watch this Titan is flying around in rotations, Titan’s surface as the moon executes nearly one complete rotation under the spacecraft's camera watching
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … _245_1.gif
Cassini is doing a gravity assist to slow down and going for the burn, We'll know in about few hours. Go for the burn!
:band:
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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About the passing of the asteroids and of the gap between F- and G-rings.
Beside that, the density of particles is not as high as many people think.
It´s unavoidable Cassini has to pass the rings. The rings are stretching several Saturn-radii.
*Hi bolbuyk: Of course -- passing through the gap (G and F rings) is the best route for Cassini. But still, it worries me a bit.
I have a level of anxiety about this mission (and Hugyens too) that I haven't felt with others. Don't know why (except perhaps my great affection for Saturn and its moons).
Julius Caeser and I both have our fingers crossed. :;):
--Cindy
::EDIT:: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 3246]Guide to orbital insertion! Includes time highlights!
*Cassini will take pics of rings too. GO CASSINI!!!
---
-:Also:-
Saturns]http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/article_1483.html?2962004]Saturn's rotation a "mystery"
Discrepancies between Cassini's data and that of Voyager.
---
::EDIT 2:: This from spacedaily.com's "Saturn Daily":
"Although the Cassini spacecraft is scheduled to officially arrive at the planet Saturn on June 30, scientists studying the planet's magnetosphere received an official welcome on June 27 when a burst of plasma wave noise indicated that Cassini had crossed the planet's bow shock - the region where charged particles flowing outward from the sun collide with Saturn's magnetic field or magnetosphere."
that was a good set of web pages with information
and it has the important times
6:10 p.m. - Spacecraft turns so its high-gain antenna can shield the craft from particles as it crosses Saturn's ring plane.
7:36 p.m. - Engine begins burn, which will slow spacecraft down so it can be captured by Saturn's gravity. Burn lasts approximately 96 minutes.
8:54 p.m. - Cassini captured in Saturn orbit.
9:03 p.m. - Closest approach to Saturn of entire mission: 19,980 kilometers (12,400 miles) from Saturn's cloud tops.
9:12 p.m. to
9:22 p.m. - Engine burn ends.
9:35 p.m. - Spacecraft begins to take pictures of Saturn's rings
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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check the ESA web site has a display of what's happening
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huy … QUD_0.html
and here with europe news
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huy … i-Huygens/
http://television.esa.int./default.cfm]http://television.esa.int./default.cfm
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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<a href="http://saturn1.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/images/cassini_today4.jpg">Cassini’s is approaching Dione’s orbit.
</a>
This is as of when this was posted. The picture on this website changes.
"Run for it? Running's not a plan! Running's what you do, once a plan fails!" -Earl Bassett
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http://saturn1.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/ … 4.jpg]Here is the link.
That is what I get for trying to use html code.
"Run for it? Running's not a plan! Running's what you do, once a plan fails!" -Earl Bassett
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*Cassini a-ok!
It's 11:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time as I type this. Got the following from spaceref.com:
"A signal has been received from Cassini indicating that it survived the first ring plane crossing of the evening - between the F and G rings. Subsequent signals have confirmed that the spacecraft has begun its 96 minute SOI engine burn."
Yippee!!!
***
Atlas]http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=13252]"Atlas" found!
Tiny moon "Atlas" not seen again since Voyager 1's fly-by in 1980.
Also spotted: Epimetheus; Prometheus; Pandora; Janus.
"Cassini's narrow angle camera captured a sequence of 112 images in visible light, which were used --->to create a movie of Atlas and other moons racing around the outer edge of Saturn's rings.<--- One of those images is shown here. Over the course of almost five and one-quarter hours, Cassini watched the moons as they circled the planet, snapping 1.2-second exposures about 12 minutes apart. These images were part of a sequence designed specifically to search for small moons near Saturn's F ring."
*If anyone sees this "movie" for play on the 'net, please refer it. I'll be on the lookout -- want to see it!
--Cindy :up:
GO CASSINI!
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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It's great to hear Cassini-Huygens mission is doing fine
I've got a good one here
HUNDREDS OF RAW IMAGES FROM CASSINI
check out those rings
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … ...dQ=1000
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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it was great to hear the cassini-huygens probe is doing well
look at the good news,
mission goes into orbits round the ringed Saturn
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMAMG25WVD_in … dex_0.html
the esa have a lot of pictures from Saturn also and other details of the other missions such as the Mars surface from its orbiter
'first steps are not for cheap, think about it...
did China build a great Wall in a day ?' ( Y L R newmars forum member )
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Great links!
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made it, relief sets in... I was hoping for some first-ever images from inside the ring gap first-ever edge on, i dont see any yet.
those are some great http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … =27729]raw images
at first i thought those might be the sequence of "threading the gap" but put the thumbnails together and they just make up a mosaic (seems to be the same as the http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/gs2. … mage]image from 6/29):
http://www.freewebs.com/atomoid/ringim.jpg]here
it looks liek they havent released an image from edge on, so is this the closest we got?
did anyone notice the "http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/casJPGFullS02/N00000488.jpg]meteor flurries" in these images? what the heck?
"I think it would be a good idea". - [url=http://www.quotationspage.com/quotes/Mahatma_Gandhi/]Mahatma Gandhi[/url], when asked what he thought of Western civilization.
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small 'dust' from the rings, probably?
*very* interesting pics, all together.
Did you read the praise from ESA towards NASA? Great. I hope this settles the 'envy' nonsense for a while...
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What a great day for science! However, I foolishly assumed that the Huygens probe would be dropped sooner than January 2005!
One day...we will get to Mars and the rest of the galaxy!! Hopefully it will be by Nuclear power!!!
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Wow, Cassini-Huygens did well!!
Next step: Huygens-release.
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What a great day for science! However, I foolishly assumed that the Huygens probe would be dropped sooner than January 2005!
*Think of it as the joyous anticipation of awaiting yet another gift. And this time shortly after the holidays as well -- how fitting!
--Cindy
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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*Bill Nye "The Science Guy" was just talking to Diane Sawyer of "Good Morning America." He sure is bright-eyed and glowing (I can relate).
Anyway, Cassini is 22 feet long; they're comparing it to the size of a bus. Not sure I knew that little factoid (perhaps forgot).
--Cindy
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … =1000]From "raw" images...
*Imagine that arc of rings (2nd row of pics especially) stretching out above you, as you glide beneath them. This stunning in b/w...imagine color.
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … =1000]More...
*Imagine being Cassini -- passing through the rings themselves. Tilting, perspectives changing continually. A human might become deliciously "overloaded" with wonder. That smooth, gargantuan tan and yellow globe beside you -- clouds swirling, bands of multicolor looming against the blackness of space. Wow. Am I jealous of a probe? You betcha.
--Cindy
We all know [i]those[/i] Venusians: Doing their hair in shock waves, smoking electrical coronas, wearing Van Allen belts and resting their tiny elbows on a Geiger counter...
--John Sladek (The New Apocrypha)
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