|
|
|
|
|
First pictures from Saturn orbit show rich ring detail BY WILLIAM HARWOOD STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS "SPACE PLACE" & USED WITH PERMISSION Posted: July 1, 2004 The first batch of photographs snapped by the Cassini Saturn orbiter earlier today reached the Jet Propulsion Laboratory around 8:30 a.m., zoomed-in shots of the planet's myriad rings showing a ghostly tapestry of icy, back-lit particles arrayed in sharply defined bands.
"Look at that structure, it's so regular!" marveled imaging team leader Carolyn Porco as a picture came in showing well-defined bands of brightness and darkness. "I'm wondering if we're looking at a density wave. This looks like it might be a density wave, but I'm not quite sure." Density waves, caused by gravitational interactions with nearby moons, are thought to be "kissing cousins" of the waves that produce the spiral structure seen in galaxies like Earth's Milky Way. "These are regions where the rings are communicating gravitationally with the moons exterior to them," Porco explained. One of the objectives of Cassini's ring research is to study density waves in unprecedented detail and based on the first set of images, scientists will not be disappointed. "With these kinds of images and with the data we're going to return from Cassini with stellar occulation observations, radio occulation observations, we are going to nail density waves, we are going to understand these critters," Porco said. "This is really a new era in the study of outer planet systems." A few moments later: "There goes another one, which is mind blowing, absolutely mind blowing," Porco exclaimed. "Look at thatOoh... It's almost everywhere you look here, you can't miss one. They're just all over the place." A few moments later: "Oh my God, look at that! ... These density waves are like books, just waiting to be read." But this morning, as raw, unprocessed images flowed in, science wasn't the immediate objective. It was enough just to know Cassini's camera and other systems had worked as planned during close approach to Saturn. The photo sequence began around 12:30 a.m., 18 minutes or so after Cassini finished a 96-minute rocket firing to brake into orbit around Saturn. Streaking just above the rings at speeds greater than 50,000 mph, Cassini's narrow-angle camera took a series of snapshots, opening its shutter for just five milliseconds per picture to avoid blurring.
"We couldn't take a contiguous ring scan with images overlapping other images because we are speeding across the rings very fast," Porco said. "It takes us about a minute to take a picture and so in the time we shutter the exposure, read out the camera and get ready to take a picture again, we have crossed a thousand kilometers. Our field of view is only about, let's say, 100 to 200 kilometers. So never do we have overlapping images. Never will we be able to put this all together in a nice mosaic." One of the world's leading ring experts, even Porco was surprised by the level of detail apparent in the first unprocessed pictures. "I shouldn't be, I suppose, but I am surprised," she reflected. "You can think about this like we have done for 14 years and you know, well, we'll get density waves there and we'll take pictures. But it's remarkable to me at how startling it is to see these images for the first time. ... They're just beautiful, they're very sharp." One picture that came in about an hour after the first image was received was especially intriguing, showing a density wave on the left with narrower and narrower bands of light and dark and a so-called bending wave on the right. "Oh my God! This is, oh, this is really exciting!" Porco exclaimed. "If you look, the pattern now is decreasing to the left and that is the mark of a bending wave. ... And a bending wave, it's not the density of the particles that is being moderated or modified as you move across the rings, but it is the height of the ring plane. The darkness is created by shadows. Look at that! It's just a beautiful pair."
|
|
|
|
Apollo 11 special patch Special collectors' patch marking the 35th anniversary of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing is now available. Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide  Inside Apollo mission control 
An insider's view of how Apollo flight controllers operated and just what they faced when events were crucial.Choose your store:U.S. The ultimate Apollo 11 DVD  This exceptional chronicle of the historic Apollo 11 lunar landing mission features new digital transfers of film and television coverage unmatched by any other.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Next ISS crew 
Own a little piece of history with this official patch for the International Space Station's Expedition 11 crew. We'll ship yours today!Choose your store:U.S. Gemini 7  Gemini 7: The NASA Mission Reports covers this 14-day mission by Borman and Lovell as they demonstrated some of the more essential facts of space flight. Includes CD-ROM.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo patches  The Apollo Patch Collection: Includes all 12 Apollo mission patches plus the Apollo Program Patch. Save over 20% off the Individual price. Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars Rover mission patch  A mission patch featuring NASA's Mars Exploration Rover is available from our online.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 9 DVD  On the road to the moon, the mission of Apollo 9 stands as an important gateway in experience and procedures. This 2-DVD collection presents the crucial mission on the voyage to the moon.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Apollo 12 tribute DVD set  New! Featuring the jovial crew of Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon and Alan Bean, the Apollo 12 mission was struck by lightning shortly after liftoff but proceeded on the second successful exploration voyage to the lunar surface. This three-disc DVD brings the mission to life with extraordinary detail. Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Fallen Heroes special patch  This special 12-inch embroidered patch commemorates the U.S. astronauts who made the ultimate sacrifice, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Women in Space  Women of Space: Cool Careers on the Final Frontier is for girls, young women, and anyone else interested in learning about exciting careers in space exploration. Includes CD-ROM.Choose your store:U.S. - U.K. - E.U. - Worldwide Mars rover poster  This new poster features some of the best pictures from NASA's amazing Mars Exploration Rovers Spirit and Opportunity.Choose your store:U.S. Ares 1-X Patch  The official embroidered patch for the Ares 1-X rocket test flight, is available for purchase.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREApollo Collage  This beautiful one piece set features the Apollo program emblem surrounded by the individual mission logos.U.S. STOREExpedition 21  The official embroidered patch for the International Space Station Expedition 21 crew is now available from our stores.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STOREHubble Patch  The official embroidered patch for mission STS-125, the space shuttle's last planned service call to the Hubble Space Telescope, is available for purchase.U.S. STOREWORLDWIDE STORE |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
INDEX | PLUS | NEWS ARCHIVE | LAUNCH SCHEDULE ASTRONOMY NOW | STORE ADVERTISE © 2009 Spaceflight Now Inc. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Mission control erupts in applause as communications from Cassini confirm the orbit insertion burn has begun. (60sec file)
Signals from Cassini announce the conclusion of the Saturn orbit insertion burn, confirming the spacecraft has arrived at the ringed planet. (2min 15sec file)
Mission officials hold a post-orbit insertion burn news conference at 1 a.m. EDT July 1 to discuss Cassini's successful arrival at Saturn. (25min 27sec file)
Cassini's health in the final hours before arrival at Saturn is presented in this status briefing from 12 p.m. EDT on June 30. (33min 09sec file)
Officials from the U.S., European and Italian space agencies discuss the international cooperation in the Cassini mission and future exploration projects during this news conference from 2 p.m. EDT June 30. (19min 35sec file)
This informal "ring-side chat" from 5 p.m. EDT June 30 discusses the Cassini mission to Saturn and the future of space exploration. (49min 20sec file)
Mission managers and scientists provide an update on the Cassini mission and preview the spacecraft's arrival at Saturn during this news conference from June 29. (51min 58sec file)
Scientists report scientific results from the Cassini spacecraft's close-up examination of Saturn's moon Phoebe. (31min 53sec file)
This animation shows Cassini during its encounter with the tiny moon Phoebe on the route to Saturn. (42sec file)
The Cassini spacecraft's arrival at Saturn is previewed in this detailed news conference from NASA Headquarters on June 3. (50min 01sec file)
Cassini's make-or-break engine firing to enter orbit around Saturn is explained with graphics and animation. Expert narration is provided by Cassini program manager Robert Mitchell. (3min 33sec file)
The scientific objectives of the Cassini mission to study the planet Saturn, its rings and moons are explained by Charles Elachi, director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. (4min 54sec file)
After entering orbit around Saturn, the Cassini spacecraft will launch the European Huygens probe to make a parachute landing on the surface of the moon Titan. The scientific objectives of Huygens are explained by probe project manager Jean-Pierre Lebreton. (3min 14sec file)
