Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day Collection
Title:
Cassini Approaches Saturn
Explanation:
Cassini, a robot spacecraft [ http://saturn.jpl.n…] launched [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] in 1997 by NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/], is close enough now to resolve many rings [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] and moons [ http://mars.sgi.com…] of its destination planet: Saturn [ http://www.nineplan…]. The spacecraft has closed to about two Earth-Sun separations [ http://einstein.stc…] from the ringed giant [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Last month, Cassini [ http://saturn.jpl.n…] snapped several images during an engineering test. These images have been combined into the contrast-enhanced color composite pictured above [ http://photojournal…]. Saturn's rings and cloud-tops [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] are visible on the far right, while Titan [ http://www.solarvie…], its largest moon, is visible as the speck on the lower left. When arriving at Saturn in July 2004, the Cassini orbiter [ http://saturn.jpl.n…] will begin to circle and study the Saturnian system. Several months later, a probe named Huygens [ http://saturn.jpl.n…] will separate and attempt to land on the surface of Titan [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…].
Credit and Copyright:
keyword:
Saturn
keyword:
Cassini spacecraft
facet_when:
1997
facet_when:
July 2004
facet_where:
Mars
facet_where:
Arizona
facet_where:
Saturn
facet_where:
Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC)
facet_where:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
facet_what:
Earth
facet_what:
Moon
facet_what:
Sun
facet_what:
Mars
facet_what:
Saturn
facet_what:
Cassini
facet_what:
Titan
facet_what:
Huygens Probe
facet_what:
Cassini Orbiter
facet_when_year:
1997
facet_when_year:
2004
original url:
UID:
SPD-APOD-ap021104

Cassini Approaches Saturn