Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

Palomar · 2005-03-31 11:46:36

*The other thread is well past the 200 mark and the Titan 4 flyby is today (in less than an hour). Not sure how much new data will come rolling in, but thought this would be a good time to start the next thread.

http://www.saturntoday.com/news/viewsr. … 30]Cassini update

Cassini began orbit #5 around Saturn beginning March 19. This orbit will take 18 days to complete.

They've also decided to do a "Tethys Tweak," which means lowering the altitude of Cassini during an upcoming Tethys flyby (date not given); they want to get closer to that moon, of course.

--Cindy

Cobra Commander · 2005-03-31 12:27:12

Bumping the thread above its predecessor, pay no mind.

Palomar · 2005-04-01 13:26:01

Pandoras]http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1459]Pandora's Hula-Hoop

:laugh: That's what it reminds me of.

Pandora is seen in this dramatic view, orbiting just beyond the outer edge of Saturn's F ring. Several bright areas are visible within the F ring. In the main rings, the Keeler gap and the Encke gap, with a bright ringlet, are also visible. Pandora is 84 kilometers (52 miles) across.

Photo taken February 18 at a distance of 746,000 miles.

-*-

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=15995]If that's not an asteroid caught in orbit...

...tell me what is.

-*-

Still waiting for NASA information regarding yesterday's Titan 4 flyby. Another Titan flyby is scheduled for 14 days from now.

--Cindy

alan · 2005-04-02 15:31:49

Saturn visible through Titan's atmosphere
http://nasa.exploratorium.edu/mars/oppo … ...4M1.JPG
Wide angle view of H shaped area
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … ...D=35996

Palomar · 2005-04-03 07:44:06

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 6023]Titan: Latest (close) flyby

*Obtained March 31.

Not a lot of hard info arriving, though, but one source said it'd take perhaps a week for them to release data to the public.

Yet another Titan flyby will occur on April 16...from a distance of only 637 miles. :up:

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-05 09:46:13

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 1463]Looks are deceiving

*Lovely photo of Enceladus and Rhea together. Cassini's distance from Rhea (Saturn's 2nd-largest moon) was 500,000 km greater than its distance from Enceladus, yet Rhea is still noticeably larger and looks closer.

Taken February 21.

-*-

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 1]Southern face of Saturn

"Pencil-thin"...that's an apt descriptive. Delicate shadows of rings visible, atmospheric features, etc.

Taken February 18.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-06 05:07:22

*A bit of information coming in from Cassini's latest Titan flyby.

It passed over Titan's northern hemisphere, taking optical and infrared pics. The composite photo in the link below was obtained from a distance of 81,000 miles.

There are new areas seen which were -not- previously visualized at this level of resolution by Cassini's cameras. :up:

The pic in the article is a composite.

For example, the center of the floor of the approximately 80-kilometer-wide (50-mile) crater identified by the radar team in February (near the center in this image, see PIA07368 for the radar image) is relatively bright at 2.2 centimeters, the wavelength of the radar experiment, but dark in the near-infrared wavelengths used here by Cassini's optical cameras. This brightness difference is also apparent for some of the surrounding material and could indicate differences in surface composition or roughness.

http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … 05]Article

--Cindy

SpaceNut · 2005-04-08 06:03:17

Designing of probes to last is sometimes not connected to cost but is a matter of chance of luck or is it in the testing or lack there of that causes doom to any and all.

Minor glitches on spacecraft not seen as threat to mission; Instrument problems affect data collection

Three problems that have cropped up with instruments on the multibillion-dollar Cassini spacecraft are minor, possibly fixable and certainly not mission-threatening, according to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
"These are not at all mission- stopping problems,' said Robert Mitchell, the Cassini program manager at JPL. "They're more annoyances where a single instrument is limited in its data collection ability.'
Engineers monitoring Cassini's composite infrared spectrometer (CIRS), magnetospheric imaging instrument (MIMI) and plasma spectrometer (CAPS) instruments have detected minor glitches in each of the devices' performance in recent months.

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-04-09 19:56:05

Don't know if any of these images or info were posted already so ignore if you've seen it

some great key events and fly-bys coming

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huy … QUD_0.html

movie from Cassini shows significant changes in the shapes of features in the outer haze layers of Titan's atmosphere
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … 2324_0.gif

Moon Enceladus
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … ...071.jpg

Cassini's cameras got their best view to date of the region east of the bright Xanadu Regio. This mosaic consists of several frames taken by the narrow angle camera (smaller frames) mosaicked together with an image taken by the wide angle camera filling in the background.

http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … 2316_1.jpg

rugged surface of Saturn's irregular tumbling moon Hyperion taken by the CassiniHuygens mothership
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/dr … 2017_1.jpg

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-04-10 16:55:01

some more on CassiniHuygens

http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … 2300_1.jpg

This view of Titan uncovers new territory not previously imaged at moderate resolution by Cassini’s cameras. The view is a composite of four nearly identical wide angle camera images, all taken using a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 939 nanometers. The individual images have been combined and contrast enhanced in such a way as to sharpen surface features and enhance overall brightness variations.
Some of the territory in this view was covered by observations made by the RADAR SAR experiment

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 … 160348.htm

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 … 003701.htm

Palomar · 2005-04-11 13:01:58

http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … 05]Details of Xanadu Region on Titan

*From March 31 flyby. Some of the best yet. Is the Eastern edge of Xanadu. They've spotted what seems to be an island of bright material completely surrounded by dark material.

Also a 50 mile impact crater.

Within the bright terrain at the top of the mosaic, just left of center, lies a very intriguing feature: a strikingly dark spot from which diffuse dark material appears to extend to the northeast. The origin of this feature is not yet known, but it, too, lies within the radar image; Cassini scientists will thus be able to study it using these complementary observations.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-12 10:44:26

rugged surface of Saturn's irregular tumbling moon Hyperion taken by the CassiniHuygens mothership
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/dr … 2017_1.jpg

*Hi YL Rocket. I love Hyperion; what a little cutie.

I think I might have accidentally reposted some info on Titan in my post of April 11. I just now saw your post on Titan from April 10. :hm: Oh, the last 2 links you provided aren't working (danged internet). I did scroll back yesterday and saw your post of Hyperion and Enceladus, etc., but somehow I missed the other (Titan) post.

Thanks for the links you posted. :up:

-*-

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 6]Eeeeeeek! Eye in the Sky!

Naw, just Tethys. Does look creepy, though -- like a huge eyeball. Odysseus rotating into view. They'll definitely have to repost that on the C-H mission homepage this Halloween.

-*-

As an aside of sorts...here's where http://www.spaceweather.com/images2005/ … gif]Saturn is currently located in the night sky.

Put your telescope or binoculars on it, and watch -- live! -- as Cassini buzzes around the Ringed Planet. Ha ha... :;):

I wish.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-14 05:27:00

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 166]Saturn seen through Titan's clouds

*Obtained 20 minutes after Cassini's closest approach to Titan on March 31. Awesome image. There's a patch of brightness within the clouds just below what portion of Saturn is visible, and to the right; they say this is haze-scattered light in Titan's upper atmosphere.

This image is scientifically useful because it shows properties both of how Titan's haze transmits light (from the attenuation of light from Saturn) and of how the haze reflects light (from its brightness next to Saturn).

-*-

Titans]http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.html?pid=16167]Titan's high hazes

Also from March 31 flyby. Mentions further studies of the many layers of haze, and how they change seasonally and even on a daily basis.

-*-

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 1477]Dione & "Saturnshine"

Nice. Obtained February 18th.

--Cindy

::EDIT::

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … =1480]Ring G & Star Trails

Time-exposed shot. G is described as "faint, dusty"; Cassini's camera shutter was held open for 3-1/2 minutes during -- and was necessary, to capture details. A star trail can also be seen "inside" G..and of course lots of star trails all around. Taken March 7. :up:

Palomar · 2005-04-15 05:21:27

http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish … 05]Cassini Titan T5 flyby TODAY

*This will be Cassini's closest ever pass of Titan. It'll buzz by at a distance of only 640 miles. Extremely high-resolution images are expected. :band:

Caption says it's now northern winter; apparently there'll be lack of coverage north of 35 degrees N latitude.

Go Cassini!

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-19 07:10:48

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … ]Enceladus & Rings

*Artistic.

Saturn's bright moon Enceladus hovers here, in front of a rings darkened by Saturn's shadow.

-*-

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 3]Contrast: Dione & Tethys

Yes, I'd say their surfaces are "very different." I like the name "Penelope" -- a crater on Tethys. Lots of good info in the caption regarding various features.

-*-

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 38275]From Titan 5 flyby

Not much info in the caption.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-21 06:07:53

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/moon … .cfm]Moons Section Now Online

*Everything you wanted to know about Saturn's Moons but were afraid to ask. :;):

Wonderful resource. Thanks, NASA.

--Cindy

smerral · 2005-04-22 03:12:01

Not sure whether anyone's posted on this yet, but the following strikes me as a very interesting, though necessarily speculative, article on the possibility of life in Titan:

http://xxx.lanl.gov/ftp/physics/papers/ … 501068.pdf

Palomar · 2005-04-26 05:50:32

http://www.saturntoday.com/news/viewpr. … 37]Cassini ID's organic materials in Titan's atmosphere

During its closest flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on April 16, the Cassini spacecraft came within 1,027 kilometers (638 miles) of the moon's surface and found that the outer layer of the thick, hazy atmosphere is brimming with complex hydrocarbons.
Scientists believe that Titan's atmosphere may be a laboratory for studying the organic chemistry that preceded life and provided the building blocks for life on Earth. The role of the upper atmosphere in this organic "factory" of hydrocarbons is very intriguing to scientists, especially given the large number of different hydrocarbons detected by Cassini during the flyby.

"We are beginning to appreciate the role of the upper atmosphere in the complex carbon cycle that occurs on Titan"..."Ultimately, this information from the Saturn system will help us determine the origins of organic matter within the entire solar system."

There are yet 39 Cassini flybys of Titan to come. Next will occur August 22 (that long?). Lots of interesting info in the article, but I'm pressed for time.

Why haven't we gotten any additional info from ESA regarding Huygens? ???

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-26 15:13:08

http://www.saturntoday.com/news/viewsr. … bservation of Saturnian x-ray flare

*From Chandra. Works hand-in-hand with Cassini, though, and will post it as it's cooperative.

Observation occurred January 26-27, 2004 (why so long in reporting this???! -- or is it a typo?). One full Saturnian rotation.

We report here the first observation of an X-ray flare from Saturn's non-auroral (low-latitude) disk, which is seen in direct response to an M6-class flare emanating from a sunspot that was clearly visible from both Saturn and Earth...This report, combined with earlier studies, establishes that disk X-ray emissions of the giant planets Saturn and Jupiter are directly regulated by processes happening on the Sun.

--Cindy

Palomar · 2005-04-27 08:12:10

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.htm … 60]Cassini finds particles near Enceladus

*They're not sure whether these particles originate with Saturn's E ring or is evidence of a dust cloud enveloping Enceladus. They're taking measurements of the E ring.

"It will take a few more flybys to distinguish if the dust flux is originating from the E-ring as opposed to a source at Enceladus."

Mentions plans to tweak one of the scheduled flybys to bring Cassini closer to Enceladus (mentioned in a previous post in this thread). They'd originally planned to take Cassini 620 miles above Enceladus during the 14 July 2005 flyby, but now they're going to close in even more: 109 miles. Wow. Says this'll be Cassini's lowest-altitude flyby of anything in the Saturnian system ever.

Scientists have speculated that Enceladus is the source of Saturn's E ring, the planet's widest, stretching 302,557 kilometers (188,000 miles). It's possible, the scientists say, that tidal interactions between Enceladus and Mimas, two other moons of Saturn, have heated Enceladus' interior causing water volcanism.

Another of Cassini's instruments, the magnetometer, recently discovered water ions which could be part of a very thin atmosphere around Enceladus.

Mentions again Enceladus being small, very low gravity w/inability to hold an atmosphere for long, etc.

--Cindy

::EDIT:: New images:

Rings]http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1500]Rings' Disappearing Act

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/i … 9]Straight Across the Rings

Atlas in the photo too.

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-04-27 10:58:58

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/science/moon … .cfm]Moons Section Now Online
*Everything you wanted to know about Saturn's Moons but were afraid to ask. :;):
Wonderful resource. Thanks, NASA.
--Cindy

Thanks for that great link

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-04-27 11:05:39

some more info and pictures

Enceladus stereo views
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … 2133_1.jpg

Dione and Tethys
http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalo … g/PIA06629

Epimetheus
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/dr … 2030_1.jpg

Janus
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/dr … 2024_1.jpg

Enceladus up-close
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/ir … 2114_1.jpg

Palomar · 2005-04-28 07:21:30

Epimetheus
http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/media/dr … 2030_1.jpg

*Hi YL Rocket. Thanks for sharing those pics.

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 75]Another view of Epimetheus

Is false color. They've officially named a few of the features on this moon (I'm trying to recall an article I read a month or two ago, pertaining to one of Saturn's moons being honored with the distinction of craters on it named by the IAU, but can't recall *which* of Saturn's moons that was)...anyway, the reddish feature (crater) in the lower left portion of Epimetheus is named "Pollux." The large crater towards the "bottom" (photo has been rotated) has been dubbed Hilairea. It's 21 miles in diameter and Epimetheus itself is only 72 miles in diameter. Reminds me of Mimas. Two small moons with huge craters.

Nice photos all around.

--Cindy

Shaun Barrett · 2005-04-28 17:27:45

That's one irregularly-shaped little moon!
That broad sinuous gouge just above, and leading into, Hilairea crater is odd. I wonder how it formed? ???
So many questions!

Yang Liwei Rocket · 2005-04-29 05:04:11

http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewsr.htm … 75]Another view of Epimetheus
Is false color. They've officially named a few of the features on this moon (I'm trying to recall an article I read a month or two ago, pertaining to one of Saturn's moons being honored with the distinction of craters on it named by the IAU, but can't recall *which* of Saturn's moons that was)...anyway, the reddish feature (crater) in the lower left portion of Epimetheus is named "Pollux." The large crater towards the "bottom" (photo has been rotated) has been dubbed Hilairea.

what a fantastic view of the Moon from Cassini

great picture Cindy

too bad we haven't been updated on the Titan data from the Cassini-Huygens Lander

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2005-03-31 11:46:36

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#2 2005-03-31 12:27:12

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#3 2005-04-01 13:26:01

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#4 2005-04-02 15:31:49

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#5 2005-04-03 07:44:06

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#6 2005-04-05 09:46:13

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#7 2005-04-06 05:07:22

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#8 2005-04-08 06:03:17

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#9 2005-04-09 19:56:05

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#10 2005-04-10 16:55:01

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#11 2005-04-11 13:01:58

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#12 2005-04-12 10:44:26

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#13 2005-04-14 05:27:00

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#14 2005-04-15 05:21:27

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#15 2005-04-19 07:10:48

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#16 2005-04-21 06:07:53

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#17 2005-04-22 03:12:01

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#18 2005-04-26 05:50:32

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#19 2005-04-26 15:13:08

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#20 2005-04-27 08:12:10

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#21 2005-04-27 10:58:58

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#22 2005-04-27 11:05:39

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#23 2005-04-28 07:21:30

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#24 2005-04-28 17:27:45

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

#25 2005-04-29 05:04:11

Re: Cassini-Huygens - NASA/ESA Saturn orbiter & Titan lander

Board footer