Cassini gets ready to plunge into Saturn's icy rings in a daring manoeuvre before its 20-year missio

[Calista241]

Source: Daily Mail UK

Cassini gets ready to plunge into Saturn's icy rings in a daring manoeuvre before its 20-year mission ends

Nasa's Cassini spacecraft is about to begin series of 20 orbits high above and below Saturn's poles.

Plunging just past the outer edge of the main rings, the orbits will mark the last phase of Cassini's mission.

While it passes through Saturn's famous rings, Cassini will collect samples of particles and gases and get the best view yet of the tiny, hard-to-spot moons found near the rings.

On the 30 November, following a gravitational nudge from Saturn's moon Titan, Cassini will enter this new orbiting phase, that will last until 22 April next year.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3964552/Cassini-gets-ready-plunge-Saturn-s-icy-rings-daring-manoeuvre-20-year-mission-ends.html

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going to miss this spacecraft.

[burrowowl]

1. K&R!!!!!!

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

2. I was really hoping they would fling it out to Uranus

If it was still kicking in twenty years, awesome.