Cassini in Orbit around Saturn

Mayabird · Post by **Mayabird** » 2004-07-01 12:52am

After seven years and a very long journey, the Cassini probe is successfully in orbit around Saturn. Here's to hoping that the next few years will bring lots of new information about the beautiful ringed planet.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/040630soi.html

(Six months to Huygen's drop into Titan's atmosphere. Still gotta wait for that one.)

Patrick Degan · Post by **Patrick Degan** » 2004-07-01 12:55am

A remarkable achievement. Score another one for science.

Uraniun235 · Post by **Uraniun235** » 2004-07-01 01:58am

Huzzah!

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-07-01 02:36am

Everything is going according as planned by NASA. I hope nothing goes wrong for the next six month and Huygens succesfuly lands on Titan.

jenat-lai · Post by **jenat-lai** » 2004-07-01 03:19am

I remember hearing about it in Highschool and thinking "2004? That's like aaaaages away"

well the wait wasn't that bad

SWPIGWANG · Post by **SWPIGWANG** » 2004-07-01 05:40am

I just hope Huygens finds some good stuff when it uh...lands

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-07-01 07:03am

I would be very happy if Huygen finds some form of life on Titan. But I am not very optimistic about it. Titan may have an dense atmosphere but it is a harsh cold frigid place that is inhospitable to all known life forms.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-07-01 06:50pm

evilcat4000 wrote:I would be very happy if Huygen finds some form of life on Titan. But I am not very optimistic about it. Titan may have an dense atmosphere but it is a harsh cold frigid place that is inhospitable to all known life forms.

Exactly. Liquid methane isn't exactly water, but you could get some freaky algae or something. I am very excited about all of this; my first undergraduate geophysics paper was about the Cassini mission and its implications.

Fun facts:
*The Cassini probe is the largest unmanned vessel ever built. Its about 30 feet long and weighs 6 tons.
*Huygens will land on Christmas eve, Merry Christmas, JPL!
*Titan's average surface temp is -270 Farenheit.

One of my friends is trying to wrangle me a few shifts at JPL over Christmas so I can work with the data AS IT COMES IN!!!

But those guys over there barely sleep, let alone take shifts off.

I'm available for Titan questions.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-07-01 07:08pm

Now Cassini will kill every damn dirty Saturnian it is expected to find! Muahahahaha!

Seriously, excellent. My Informative Speech in Oral Communications was on Cassini.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-07-01 07:53pm

*Huygens will land on Christmas eve, Merry Christmas, JPL!

Actually, December 24 is the date Huygens separates from Cassini. It lands on January 14, 2005.

Grand Admiral Thrawn · Post by **Grand Admiral Thrawn** » 2004-07-01 11:23pm

Hopefully Saturnians won't follow the Martian example and kill it.

Dennis Toy · Post by **Dennis Toy** » 2004-07-01 11:57pm

events like this are the reason i am into Science,

aerius · Post by **aerius** » 2004-07-02 12:03am

jenat-lai wrote:I remember hearing about it in Highschool and thinking "2004? That's like aaaaages away"

well the wait wasn't that bad

I remember the launch because all the "environmentalists" were screaming & going psycho because the spacecraft had a nuclear thermal reactor onboard. "OMG! It's got PLUTONIUM, we're all gonna DIE!!!"...dumbasses....

Post by **Gandalf** » 2004-07-02 12:03am

jenat-lai wrote:I remember hearing about it in Highschool and thinking "2004? That's like aaaaages away"

well the wait wasn't that bad

I remember thinking that as well.

I think I was in year 6 though.

Good on NASA!

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-07-02 12:39am

I'm available for Titan questions.

What would happen Huygens lands on a ocean on Titan ? Can it float ?

Xenophobe3691 · Post by **Xenophobe3691** » 2004-07-02 12:57am

aerius wrote: I remember the launch because all the "environmentalists" were screaming & going psycho because the spacecraft had a nuclear thermal reactor onboard. "OMG! It's got PLUTONIUM, we're all gonna DIE!!!"...dumbasses....

That's what happens when you learn your science from Star Trek.

tharkûn · Post by **tharkûn** » 2004-07-02 01:13am

And the plot to finally create a nuclear powered space agency thickens. I'm just waiting for the NASA to revive Orion or build something better than NERVA.

Gil Hamilton · Post by **Gil Hamilton** » 2004-07-02 01:14am

evilcat4000 wrote:What would happen Huygens lands on a ocean on Titan ? Can it float ?

No, but it's got devices for measuring the properties of liquid on it in the event that it lands in a liquid body.

Guardsman Bass · Post by **Guardsman Bass** » 2004-07-02 05:34pm

Xenophobe3691 wrote:
aerius wrote: I remember the launch because all the "environmentalists" were screaming & going psycho because the spacecraft had a nuclear thermal reactor onboard. "OMG! It's got PLUTONIUM, we're all gonna DIE!!!"...dumbasses....
That's what happens when you learn your science from Star Trek.

Yeah, but the sickening thing was, there were multiple SCIENTISTS saying that- including Michio Kaku, the string physicist whose writes rather interesting books.

Ma Deuce · Post by **Ma Deuce** » 2004-07-02 07:29pm

Hopefully Saturnians won't follow the Martian example and kill it.

The Jovians didn't have much luck downing Galileo (thier puny attack only suceeded in preventing the main antenna from opening properly), so what chance do the Saturnians have?

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-07-02 08:46pm

evilcat4000 wrote:
I'm available for Titan questions.
What would happen Huygens lands on a ocean on Titan ? Can it float ?

No, probably not, unless the muck is VERY thick. It may have time for a bit of a transmission before it sinks too far down to transmit. This will be like the Viking lander, it can take pictures and sounds, but no movement.

CaptainChewbacca · Post by **CaptainChewbacca** » 2004-07-02 11:52pm

Crap, screwed up. Huygens IS designed to float in liquid ethane.

Einhander Sn0m4n · Post by **Einhander Sn0m4n** » 2004-07-03 12:34am

CaptainChewbacca wrote:Crap, screwed up. Huygens IS designed to float in liquid ethane.

Humanity's first boat to float on an ocean not of Earth.

Cute.

Sarevok · Post by **Sarevok** » 2004-07-03 02:32am

Einhander Sn0m4n wrote:
CaptainChewbacca wrote:Crap, screwed up. Huygens IS designed to float in liquid ethane.
Humanity's first boat to float on an ocean not of Earth.

Cute.

NASA is also working on the Cryobot. It is designed to be the first extra terristrial submarine that will travell in the depths of Europas oceans.

Post by **Alyrium Denryle** » 2004-07-03 02:43am

I love science... You know, IIRC if we shielded ourselves from the horrible temperature, and figured out a way to breathe, the gravity s so low we could pretty much fly with a set of wings strapped to our arms on Titan.... Provided we could deal witht he whole balance issue with our legs....

Granted it has been a long time sice I touched astronomy. I could be wrong....