|
|
APOLLO 16MM ONBOARD SELECT V
…
This program contains select
…
2/6/06
| Description |
This program contains selected views taken from the Apollo 16mm onboards edited together and set to inspirational music. Footage from all Apollo missions, Apollo-Saturn 202 through Apollo 17, is used. Includes: Launch, stage separation, spacecraft rendezvous, various in-cabin crew scenes from spacecraft operations to leisure activities, Extravehicular Activity (EVA) views, full Earth and Moon views with close up views of the Moon, Earth rise over Moon horizon, Lunar Module (LM) descent, scenes from various EVAs on the Lunar surface, scenes taken during Command Module (CM) reentry including views of the main parachutes as CM makes final descent, views of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) and Lunar Module (LM), and a nice view of the planting of the American flag. |
| Date |
2/6/06 |
|
Huygens Landing Site Revisit
…
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
January 13, 2006 This is an animated artist interpretation of the area surrounding the Huygens landing site, based on images and data returned Jan. 14, 2005. On January 14, 2005, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens probe reached the upper layer of Titan's atmosphere and landed on the surface after a parachute descent 2 hours and 28 minutes later. As part of the joint NASA/ESA/ASI mission to Saturn and its moons, the Huygens probe was sent from the Cassini spacecraft to explore Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Titan's organic chemistry may be like that of the primitive Earth around 4000 million years ago, and it may hold clues about how life began on our planet. + Read the Feature |
|
August 2006: View of the Pla
…
| Description |
August 2006: View of the Planets |
| Full Description |
Just before the eastern sky brightens with sunrise, three planets and the waning crescent moon join the starry twilight tapestry. Then, as the bright stars of Gemini and Orion fade with oncoming dawn, the planets rise and shine. About 45 minutes before sunrise on Aug. 20 to 22 the planets Venus, Mercury and Saturn dance on the ecliptic -- the plane of Earth's orbit and the imaginary line tracing it in the sky. The sun, moon and planets appear to move along this line. Venus, rising an hour and a half before sunrise, is the easiest to see in the morning sky. Two hundred forty-one million kilometers (150 million miles) distant, Venus is Earth-sized. Mercury, at a distance of 183 million kilometers (114 million miles), is the fastest and smallest of the inner planets and appears brighter than the more distant Saturn. Saturn, 1,517 million kilometers (943 million miles) distant, was at conjunction with the sun just two weeks ago and now rises nearly an hour before sunrise. On Aug. 26 and 27, Saturn pairs with much brighter Venus at dawn. What other planets can we see in late August? Mars sets 45 minutes after sunset by month's end but is lost from view in the twilight, while brilliant Jupiter remains prominent as the only planet visible for a few hours during the late August evenings. Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
August 18, 2006 |
|
Pale Blue Orb (1)
| Description |
Pale Blue Orb |
| Full Description |
Not since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft saw our home as a pale blue dot from beyond the orbit of Neptune has Earth been imaged in color from the outer solar system. Now, Cassini casts powerful eyes on our home planet, and captures Earth, a pale blue orb -- and a faint suggestion of our moon -- among the glories of the Saturn system. Earth is captured here in a natural color portrait made possible by the passing of Saturn directly in front of the sun from Cassini's point of view. At the distance of Saturn's orbit, Earth is too narrowly separated from the sun for the spacecraft to safely point its cameras and other instruments toward its birthplace without protection from the sun's glare. The Earth-and-moon system is visible as a bright blue point on the right side of the image above center. Here, Cassini is looking down on the Atlantic Ocean and the western coast of north Africa. The phase angle of Earth, seen from Cassini is about 30 degrees. A magnified view of the image taken through the clear filter (monochrome) shows the moon as a dim protrusion to the upper left of Earth. Seen from the outer solar system through Cassini's cameras, the entire expanse of direct human experience, so far, is nothing more than a few pixels across. Earth no longer holds the distinction of being our solar system's only "water world," as several other bodies suggest the possibility that they too harbor liquid water beneath their surfaces. The Saturnian moon, Enceladus, is among them, and is also captured on the left in this image (see inset), with its plume of water ice particles and swathed in the blue E ring which it creates. Delicate fingers of material extend from the active moon into the E ring. See Ghostly Fingers of Enceladus, for a more detailed view of these newly-revealed features. The narrow tenuous G ring and the main rings are seen at the right. The view looks down from about 15 degrees above the un-illuminated side of the rings. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this view. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Sept. 15, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn and at a sun-Saturn-spacecraft angle of almost 179 degrees. Image scale is 129 kilometers (80 miles) per pixel. At this time, Cassini was nearly 1.5 billion kilometers (930 million miles) from Earth. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ., The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
September 19, 2006 |
|
Shorefront Property, Anyone?
| Description |
Shorefront Property, Anyone? |
| Full Description |
This lake is part of a larger image taken by the Cassini radar instrument during a flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on Sept. 23, 2006. It shows clear shorelines that are reminiscent of terrestrial lakes. With Titan's colder temperatures and hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere, however, the lakes likely contain a combination of methane and ethane, not water. Centered near 74 degrees north, 65 degrees west longitude, this lake is roughly 20 kilometers by 25 kilometers (12 to 16 miles) across. It features several narrow or angular bays, including a broad peninsula that on Earth would be evidence that the surrounding terrain is higher and confines the liquid. Broader bays, such as the one seen at right, might result when the terrain is gentler, as for example on a beach. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
September 26, 2006 |
|
In Saturn's Shadow (Color-ex
…
| Description |
In Saturn's Shadow (Color-exagerated view) |
| Full Description |
+ Original version + Image with labels With giant Saturn hanging in the blackness and sheltering Cassini from the sun's blinding glare, the spacecraft viewed the rings as never before, revealing previously unknown faint rings and even glimpsing its home world. This marvelous panoramic view was created by combining a total of 165 images taken by the Cassini wide-angle camera over nearly three hours on Sept. 15, 2006. The full mosaic consists of three rows of nine wide-angle camera footprints, only a portion of the full mosaic is shown here. Color in the view was created by digitally compositing ultraviolet, infrared and clear filter images and was then adjusted to resemble natural color. The mosaic images were acquired as the spacecraft drifted in the darkness of Saturn's shadow for about 12 hours, allowing a multitude of unique observations of the microscopic particles that compose Saturn's faint rings. Ring structures containing these tiny particles brighten substantially at high phase angles: i.e., viewing angles where the sun is almost directly behind the objects being imaged. During this period of observation Cassini detected two new faint rings: one coincident with the shared orbit of the moons Janus and Epimetheus, and another coincident with Pallene's orbit. (See The Janus/Epimetheus Ring and Moon-Made Rings for more on the two new rings.) The narrowly confined G ring is easily seen here, outside the bright main rings. Encircling the entire system is the much more extended E ring. The icy plumes of Enceladus, whose eruptions supply the E ring particles, betray the moon's position in the E ring's left-side edge. Interior to the G ring and above the brighter main rings is the pale dot of Earth. Cassini views its point of origin from over a billion kilometers (and close to a billion miles) away in the icy depths of the outer solar system. See Pale Blue Orb for a similar view of Earth taken during this observation. Small grains are pushed about by sunlight and electromagnetic forces. Hence their distribution tells much about the local space environment. A second version of the mosaic view is presented here in which the color contrast is greatly exaggerated. In such views, imaging scientists have noticed color variations across the diffuse rings that imply active processes sort the particles in the ring according to their sizes. Looking at the E ring in this color-exaggerated view, the distribution of color across and along the ring appears to be different between the right side and the left. Scientists are not sure yet how to explain these differences, though the difference in phase angle between right and left may be part of the explanation. The phase angle is about 179 degrees on Saturn. The main rings are overexposed in a few places. This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 15 degrees above the ringplane. Cassini was approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn when the, images in this mosaic were taken. Image scale on Saturn is about 260 kilometers (162 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
October 11, 2006 |
|
| Description |
Titan's |
| Full Description |
This Cassini radar image shows two lakes "kissing" each other on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. The image from a flyby on Sept. 23, 2006, covers an area about 60 kilometers (37 miles) wide by 40 kilometers (25 miles) high. This pass was primarily dedicated to the ion and neutral mass spectrometer instrument, so although, the volume of radar data was small, scientists were amazed to see Earth-like lakes. With Titan's colder temperatures and hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere, however, the lakes likely contain a combination of methane and ethane, not water. In this image, near 73 degrees north latitude, 46 degrees west longitude, two lakes are seen, each 20 to 25 kilometers (12 to 16 miles) across. They are joined by a relatively narrow channel. The lake on the right has lighter patches within it, indicating that it may be slowly drying out as the northern summer approaches. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
September 26, 2006 |
|
Titan Flyby - Oct. 25, 2006
| Description |
Titan Flyby - Oct. 25, 2006 |
| Full Description |
*Cassini to Find Out What Titan's Dunes Are Made Of * During a flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on Wed., Oct. 25, the Cassini spacecraft will obtain the first detailed maps of the composition of this moon's Earth-like features, including dunes, rocky plains, steep highlands and possible volcanoes and lakes. + View Flyby Page |
| Date |
October 23, 2006 |
|
Titan (T25) Viewed by Cassin
…
| Description |
Titan (T25) Viewed by Cassini's Radar Feb. 22, 2007 |
| Full Description |
This image of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, obtained by Cassini's radar instrument during a near-polar flyby on Feb. 22, 2007, features dunes and lakes, one of which is larger than any lake on Earth and could be legitimately called a sea. First discovered by Cassini's radar in July 2006 (see Lakes on Titan), Titan's lakes are thought to consist of liquid methane and ethane. The image runs from southern latitudes, starting at 32 degrees south, 55 degrees west, where we see featureless terrain with bright streaks, heading north and slightly east, through dune fields interspersed with exposed bright mounds. In places, the dunes wrap around the bright mounds, which suggests the mounds are raised (see Titan Features and Interactions). In one case, the dunes wrap around an unusual rose-shaped structure, approximately 70 kilometers (40 miles) across. Near the spacecraft's closest approach (33 degrees north, 28 degrees west), where the swath is at its narrowest, the terrain is dark and mottled, with occasional bright outcrops and fine dunes. As we continue to head north, we see the first signs of the action of liquids -- fine channels and canyon-like structures. Later, depressions can be seen. These are similar to those seen in the lake region and are interpreted as volcanic calderas or drained lakes. As the swath continues, these become more plentiful, and some are partly filled with dark material thought to be liquid hydrocarbons, hence lakes. In places, the lakes reside in what appear to be nested, near-circular depressions, reminiscent of nested calderas. The final section of the swath, which is closest to the pole, contains by far the largest lakes observed by Cassini's radar to date. Part of the first of these was seen during a previous flyby (see Titan's Great Lakes?), and is fed by a long river -- over 200 kilometers (120 miles) in length, and hundreds of meters to over 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) in width - running through what appears to be a flood plain. The lake's bright, jutting shoreline indicates that old, eroded landforms may have been flooded. The end of the next lake was also observed before (see Lakes and More lakes), appearing to be, in both form and scale, similar to Lake Powell, a flooded drainage system in Utah and Arizona. We can now see that this lake on Titan connects via a relatively narrow channel to a much larger (at least 45,000 square kilometers or 17,000 square miles) lake, containing a large (approximately 12,000 square kilometers or 4,600 square miles) island or peninsula (see Titan: Larger and Larger Lakes). The last part of the image passes close to the pole (86 degrees north, 290 degrees east), before heading east and slightly south. At the end of the swath, we see the largest lake observed yet -- at least 100,000 square kilometers (39,000 square miles), which is greater in extent than one of the largest lakes on Earth, Lake Superior (82,000 square kilometers or 32,000 square miles), and covers a greater fraction of, Titan than the largest terrestrial inland sea, the Black Sea. The Black Sea covers 0.085 percent of the surface of the Earth, this newly observed body on Titan covers at least 0.12 percent of the surface of Titan. Because of its size, scientists are calling this a sea. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. *Credit:* NASA/JPL |
| Date |
March 13, 2007 |
|
Moons in the Night
| Description |
Moons in the Night |
| Full Description |
Sunlight makes visible the faint band called the E ring as two moons meet in the sky. Enceladus (505 kilometers, or 314 miles across) and Tethys (1,071 kilometers, or 665 miles across) appear close together in the sky in this image, but in reality, Tethys was more than 260,000 kilometers (162,000 miles) farther from the Cassini spacecraft -- greater than half the distance from Earth to the Moon. Enceladus is easy to identify by the brilliant plume of ice erupting from its south pole. Although this perspective views the night sides of both moons, the Sun is not the only source of illumination in the Saturn system. Tethys is at a fuller phase with respect to Saturn, and thus its "night side" is more fully lit than that of Enceladus. The view was acquired from a Sun-Enceladus-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 163 degrees, a viewing geometry in which the microscopic ice particles in its plume brighten substantially. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on June 6, 2006 at a distance of approximately 3.9 million kilometers (2.4 million miles) from Enceladus and 4.2 million kilometers (2.6 million miles) from Tethys. Image scale is 23 kilometers (14 miles) per pixel on Enceladus and 25 kilometers (16 miles) on Tethys. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
April 16, 2007 |
|
Radar Shows Evidence of Seas
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. Credit: NASA/JPL, This movie, comprised of several detailed images taken by Cassini's radar instrument, shows bodies of liquid near Titan's north pole. These images show that many of the features commonly associated with lakes on Earth, such as islands, bays, inlets and channels, are also present on this cold Saturnian moon. They offer strong evidence that larger bodies seen in infrared images are, in fact, seas. These seas are most likely liquid methane and ethane. For more than two decades, scientists have debated whether liquids on Titan exist, and if so, where they would be located. Pre-Cassini observations from the 1980s indicated that something on Titan's surface must be re-supplying the methane to its atmosphere. A global ocean was once hypothesized. Subsequently, disconnected lakes or seas were predicted. The discovery of numerous lakes near Titan's north pole by the Cassini radar instrument in July 2006 has confirmed the latter idea, and indicates an apparent preference during the current season for liquids to be located near the north pole. These new observations of the north polar area show how extensive and widespread these lakes are, and reveal at least one body of liquid that might rightly be called a sea. These seas cover an area about 100,000 square kilometers (about 39,000 square miles), larger than the largest Great Lake, Lake Superior, near the U.S. and Canadian border, whose area is 82,000 square kilometers (about 32,000 square miles). Analysis of the data indicates that the bodies of liquid may be tens of meters in depth. This high-definition video offers a trip through the north polar area just as Cassini radar saw it. It combines radar swaths seen on several Titan passes: July 22, 2006 (T16), Sept. 23, 2006 (T18), Oct. 9, 2006 (T19), and Feb. 22, 2007 (T25), respectively. The mosaic reveals the extent of the lakes, their shapes and interconnections. The areas believed to be composed of liquids are shown in blue as an aid to interpretation. The movie begins with an illustration of the relative orbits of Titan and Cassini, both circling Saturn. The spacecraft is seen approaching the planet with a nodding motion as its antenna scans the moon's surface, turning to keep its target in sight. The animation shows all radar swaths, and zooms in for a close look at the many complex shapes the lakes take. Some features that resemble lakes with no liquid may be remnants that have already dried as the northern winter fades into spring. The resolution of the radar data varies from several kilometers to as fine as 300 meters (984 feet). The coverage shown in the video spans from 50 degrees north latitude, almost to the pole, where a small triangular gap in coverage misses the exact pole. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission |
|
Radar Shows Evidence of Seas
| Description |
Here on the Gallery page you can find the very latest images, videos and products from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, including the spectacular launch, spacecraft assembly and the exciting trip to Saturn. |
| Full Description |
Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm. Credit: NASA/JPL, This movie, comprised of several detailed images taken by Cassini's radar instrument, shows bodies of liquid near Titan's north pole. These images show that many of the features commonly associated with lakes on Earth, such as islands, bays, inlets and channels, are also present on this cold Saturnian moon. They offer strong evidence that larger bodies seen in infrared images are, in fact, seas. These seas are most likely liquid methane and ethane. For more than two decades, scientists have debated whether liquids on Titan exist, and if so, where they would be located. Pre-Cassini observations from the 1980s indicated that something on Titan's surface must be re-supplying the methane to its atmosphere. A global ocean was once hypothesized. Subsequently, disconnected lakes or seas were predicted. The discovery of numerous lakes near Titan's north pole by the Cassini radar instrument in July 2006 has confirmed the latter idea, and indicates an apparent preference during the current season for liquids to be located near the north pole. These new observations of the north polar area show how extensive and widespread these lakes are, and reveal at least one body of liquid that might rightly be called a sea. These seas cover an area about 100,000 square kilometers (about 39,000 square miles), larger than the largest Great Lake, Lake Superior, near the U.S. and Canadian border, whose area is 82,000 square kilometers (about 32,000 square miles). Analysis of the data indicates that the bodies of liquid may be tens of meters in depth. This high-definition video offers a trip through the north polar area just as Cassini radar saw it. It combines radar swaths seen on several Titan passes: July 22, 2006 (T16), Sept. 23, 2006 (T18), Oct. 9, 2006 (T19), and Feb. 22, 2007 (T25), respectively. The mosaic reveals the extent of the lakes, their shapes and interconnections. The areas believed to be composed of liquids are shown in blue as an aid to interpretation. The movie begins with an illustration of the relative orbits of Titan and Cassini, both circling Saturn. The spacecraft is seen approaching the planet with a nodding motion as its antenna scans the moon's surface, turning to keep its target in sight. The animation shows all radar swaths, and zooms in for a close look at the many complex shapes the lakes take. Some features that resemble lakes with no liquid may be remnants that have already dried as the northern winter fades into spring. The resolution of the radar data varies from several kilometers to as fine as 300 meters (984 feet). The coverage shown in the video spans from 50 degrees north latitude, almost to the pole, where a small triangular gap in coverage misses the exact pole. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission |
|
Cassini to Tour Titan on Huy
…
| Description |
Cassini to Tour Titan on Huygens Descent Anniversary |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft will fly by Saturn's largest moon, Titan, on Jan. 15. Views from the probe and Cassini's eight flybys of Titan have revealed that every geologic process on Earth is active on Titan. Scientists have seen evidence pointing to rivers and channels, a possible lake, a shoreline, what may be a volcano, and an abundance of sand dunes. This will be a "Titanic" year for Cassini, with 13 Titan flybys in all. See the related Flyby Page. |
| Date |
January 12, 2006 |
|
Mimas...and Titan Beyond
| Description |
Mimas...and Titan Beyond |
| Full Description |
Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and Mimas, closer but much smaller on the right, are seen together in this view from Cassini. Titan's gravity is weaker than Earth's, so the moon's atmosphere is quite extended -- a quality hinted at in this view. Part of Mimas' dark side is illuminated by reflected light from nearby Saturn. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Dec. 3, 2005, at a distance of approximately 3.6 million kilometers (2.2 million miles) from Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) and 2.5 million kilometers (1.6 million miles) from Mimas (397 kilometers, or 247 miles across). Both moons are seen at a Sun-moon-spacecraft angle, or phase angle, of 110 degrees. The image scale is 22 kilometers (14 miles) per pixel on Titan and 15 kilometers (9 miles) per pixel on Mimas. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
January 3, 2006 |
|
The Storm Continues
| Description |
The Storm Continues |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft looks toward giant Saturn and its moon Tethys, while a large and powerful storm rages in the planet's southern hemisphere. The storm was observed by the Cassini spacecraft beginning in late Jan. 2006, and was at the time large and bright enough to be seen using modest-sized telescopes on Earth. The fact that the storm stands out against the subtle banding of Saturn at visible wavelengths suggests that the storm's cloud tops are relatively high in the atmosphere. Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Feb. 18, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.8 million kilometers (1.7 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 162 kilometers (101 miles) per pixel on Saturn. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
March 29, 2006 |
|
Titan's Sand Dunes
| Description |
Titan's Sand Dunes |
| Full Description |
Cassini radar sees sand dunes on Saturn's giant moon Titan (upper photo) that are sculpted like Namibian sand dunes on Earth (lower photo). The bright features in the upper radar photo are not clouds but topographic features among the dunes. *Photo credit: * NASA/JPL - upper photo, NASA/JSC - lower photo |
| Date |
May 4, 2006 |
|
From Cloudy to Clear
| Description |
During a recent flyby of Titan, the Cassini spacecraft looked beyond the utterly overcast moon and spied clear, distant Rhea in the blackness. |
| Full Description |
During a recent flyby of Titan, the Cassini spacecraft looked beyond the utterly overcast moon and spied clear, distant Rhea in the blackness. Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) is two-and-a-half times smaller than Earth and much less massive. This circumstance causes its atmosphere to extend to much higher altitudes above the surface than does Earth's. The Cassini spacecraft is unable to fly much closer than about 1000 kilometers (600 miles) above Titan's surface -- much closer, and the spacecraft would experience excessive torques from the atmosphere that could interfere with its ability to track the target. By contrast, the International Space Station orbits Earth at an altitude of about 350 kilometers (220 miles). The bright, fresh crater on Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) appears near the center of the moon's crescent. The image was taken in visible-light with the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on May 20, 2006, at a distance of approximately 53,000 kilometers (33,000 miles) from Titan and 873,000 kilometers (543,000 miles) from Rhea. Image scale is 320 meters (1,050 feet) per pixel on Titan and 5 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel on Rhea. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . *Credit:* NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
June 21, 2006 |
|
In Saturn's Shadow (with lab
…
| Description |
In Saturn's Shadow (with labels) |
| Full Description |
+ Original version + Color-exagerated version With giant Saturn hanging in the blackness and sheltering Cassini from the sun's blinding glare, the spacecraft viewed the rings as never before, revealing previously unknown faint rings and even glimpsing its home world. This marvelous panoramic view was created by combining a total of 165 images taken by the Cassini wide-angle camera over nearly three hours on Sept. 15, 2006. The full mosaic consists of three rows of nine wide-angle camera footprints, only a portion of the full mosaic is shown here. Color in the view was created by digitally compositing ultraviolet, infrared and clear filter images and was then adjusted to resemble natural color. The mosaic images were acquired as the spacecraft drifted in the darkness of Saturn's shadow for about 12 hours, allowing a multitude of unique observations of the microscopic particles that compose Saturn's faint rings. Ring structures containing these tiny particles brighten substantially at high phase angles: i.e., viewing angles where the sun is almost directly behind the objects being imaged. During this period of observation Cassini detected two new faint rings: one coincident with the shared orbit of the moons Janus and Epimetheus, and another coincident with Pallene's orbit. (See The Janus/Epimetheus Ring and Moon-Made Rings for more on the two new rings.) The narrowly confined G ring is easily seen here, outside the bright main rings. Encircling the entire system is the much more extended E ring. The icy plumes of Enceladus, whose eruptions supply the E ring particles, betray the moon's position in the E ring's left-side edge. Interior to the G ring and above the brighter main rings is the pale dot of Earth. Cassini views its point of origin from over a billion kilometers (and close to a billion miles) away in the icy depths of the outer solar system. See Pale Blue Orb for a similar view of Earth taken during this observation. Small grains are pushed about by sunlight and electromagnetic forces. Hence their distribution tells much about the local space environment. A second version of the mosaic view is presented here in which the color contrast is greatly exaggerated. In such views, imaging scientists have noticed color variations across the diffuse rings that imply active processes sort the particles in the ring according to their sizes. Looking at the E ring in this color-exaggerated view, the distribution of color across and along the ring appears to be different between the right side and the left. Scientists are not sure yet how to explain these differences, though the difference in phase angle between right and left may be part of the explanation. The phase angle is about 179 degrees on Saturn. The main rings are overexposed in a few places. This view looks toward the unlit side of the rings from about 15 degrees above the ringplane. Cassini was approximately 2.2 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn when, the images in this mosaic were taken. Image scale on Saturn is about 260 kilometers (162 miles) per pixel. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
| Date |
October 11, 2006 |
|
Radar Images the Margin of X
…
| Description |
Radar Images the Margin of Xanadu |
| Full Description |
This image of Saturn's moon Titan from the Synthetic Aperture Radar instrument on the Cassini spacecraft shows the southwestern area of a feature called Xanadu (bottom right of the image). The area is bright because it reflects the radio wavelengths used to make this radar images. The image was taken on April 30, 2006. Xanadu is one of the most prominent features on Titan and was first seen in ground-based observations. The origin of Xanadu is still unknown, but this radar image reveals details previously unseen, such as numerous curvy features that may indicate fluid flows. Linear dark streaks visible in radar-dark areas are dune fields, also seen in previous radar images (see Dunes Galore). Near the center of the image is a prominent circular feature, named Guabonito, about 90 kilometers (56 miles) in diameter. It might be an impact crater or a cryovolcanic caldera. If this is an impact structure, the absence of an ejecta blanket suggests that the feature has been highly eroded, like some impact structures on Earth, or has been buried by the dune fields. Other radar-bright areas (top left and top right) appear to be topographically high and might act as obstacles, diverting the dunes around them. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The radar instrument was built by JPL and the Italian Space Agency, working with team members from the United States and several European countries. For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov . Credit: NASA/JPL |
| Date |
May 3, 2006 |
|
Cassini to Study Titan's Atm
…
| Description |
Cassini to Study Titan's Atmosphere |
| Full Description |
The Cassini spacecraft will study the hazy atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan from the inside out during a flyby on May 20. Cassini will transmit radio waves to Earth as it flies behind Titan. The radio waves will pass through Titan's atmosphere, revealing characteristics about the atmosphere's temperature, structure and winds. During this flyby, Cassini also will bounce radio waves off the surface of Titan for receipt on Earth. The reflectiveness at different wavelengths will provide information about the surface roughness and composition. + View Flyby Page |
| Date |
May 18, 2006 |
|
Eclipsed Earth
| title |
Eclipsed Earth |
| date |
03.29.2006 |
| description |
The shadow of the moon falls on Earth as seen from the International Space Station, 230 miles above the planet, during a total solar eclipse at about 4:50 a.m. EST March 29. This digital photo was taken by the Expedition 12 crew, who are wrapping up a six-month mission on the ISS. Visible near the shadow are portions of Cyprus in the Mediterranean Sea and the coast of Turkey. *Credit:* NASA |
|
Pale Blue Orb (2)
| title |
Pale Blue Orb (2) |
| date |
09.15.2006 |
| description |
Not since NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft saw our home as a pale blue dot from beyond the orbit of Neptune has Earth been imaged in color from the outer solar system. Now, Cassini casts powerful eyes on our home planet, and captures Earth, a pale blue orb -- and a faint suggestion of our moon -- among the glories of the Saturn system. Earth is captured here in a natural color portrait made possible by the passing of Saturn directly in front of the sun from Cassini's point of view. At the distance of Saturn's orbit, Earth is too narrowly separated from the sun for the spacecraft to safely point its cameras and other instruments toward its birthplace without protection from the sun's glare. The Earth-and-moon system is visible as a bright blue point on the right side of the image above center. Here, Cassini is looking down on the Atlantic Ocean and the western coast of north Africa. The phase angle of Earth, seen from Cassini is about 30 degrees. A magnified view of the image taken through the clear filter (monochrome) shows the moon as a dim protrusion to the upper left of Earth. Seen from the outer solar system through Cassini's cameras, the entire expanse of direct human experience, so far, is nothing more than a few pixels across. Earth no longer holds the distinction of being our solar system's only "water world," as several other bodies suggest the possibility that they too harbor liquid water beneath their surfaces. The Saturnian moon, Enceladus, is among them, and is also captured on the left in this image, with its plume of water ice particles and swathed in the blue E ring which it creates. Delicate fingers of material extend from the active moon into the E ring. See Ghostly Fingers of Enceladus [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=2276 ], for a more detailed view of these newly-revealed features. The narrow tenuous G ring and the main rings are seen at the right. The view looks down from about 15 degrees above the un-illuminated side of the rings. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this view. The image was taken by the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera on Sept. 15, 2006, at a distance of approximately 2.1 million kilometers (1.3 million miles) from Saturn and at a sun-Saturn-spacecraft angle of almost 179 degrees. Image scale is approximately 250 kilometers (155 miles) per pixel. At this time, Cassini was nearly 1.5 billion kilometers (930 million miles) from Earth. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. For, more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov [ http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov ] . The Cassini imaging team homepage is at http://ciclops.org [ http://ciclops.org ] . Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute |
|
Hubble Confirms New Moons of
…
| Title |
Hubble Confirms New Moons of Pluto |
|
Cassiopeia A - The Colorful
…
| Title |
Cassiopeia A - The Colorful Aftermath of a Violent Stellar Death |
| General Information |
What is Hubble Heritage? A monthly showcase of new and archival Hubble images. Go to the Heritage site. A new image taken with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope provides a detailed look at the tattered remains of a supernova explosion known as Cassiopeia A (Cas A). It is the youngest known remnant from a supernova explosion in the Milky Way. The new Hubble image shows the complex and intricate structure of the star's shattered fragments. The image is a composite made from 18 separate images taken in December 2004 using Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). |
|
Hubble Captures a Rare Eclip
…
| Title |
Hubble Captures a Rare Eclipse on Uranus |
|
Hubble Images of Asteroids H
…
| Title |
Hubble Images of Asteroids Help Astronomers Prepare for Spacecraft Visit |
|
Hubble's Latest Look at Plut
…
| Title |
Hubble's Latest Look at Pluto's Moons Supports a Common Birth |
|
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars i
…
| Title |
Hubble Sees Faintest Stars in a Globular Cluster |
|
Hubble Captures a Rare Eclip
…
| Title |
Hubble Captures a Rare Eclipse on Uranus |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orb
…
| Title |
STEREO's Routes to Solar Orbits |
| Abstract |
The two STEREO spacecraft, A (red path) and B (yellow path), are launched from the Earth into a highly eccentric orbit with an apogee that reaches the orbit of the Moon. Once in this orbit, the trajectories are adjusted so they can receive gravity-assists from the Moon. The gravity assist will send them both into heliocentric orbits, one spacecraft ahead of the Earth and the other behind the Earth. This trajectory was generated using a spacecraft ephemeris generated shortly after launch. |
| Completed |
2007-02-05 |
|
ACD06-0232-001
LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observa
…
4/10/06
| Description |
LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) Mission Art IMAGES COURTESY OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN, WILLIAM FURLONG, ARTIST This NASA Ames spacecraft is a small "secondary payload" spacecraft that will travel with Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) satellite to the moon on the same rocket, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) to be launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida in a search for water ice on the moon's south polar region. As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stge will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develope as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecrat will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft wil analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments will study the 2.2-millon-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. "The LCROSS mission will help us to determine if there is water hidden in the permanently dark craters on the moon's south pole." said Marvin( (Chris) Christensen, Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) manager, and Deputy Director of NASA Ames. |
| Date |
4/10/06 |
|
ACD06-0232-002
LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observa
…
4/10/06
| Description |
LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) Mission Art IMAGES COURTESY OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN, WILLIAM FURLONG, ARTIST This NASA Ames spacecraft is a small "secondary payload" spacecraft that will travel with Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) satellite to the moon on the same rocket, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) to be launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida in a search for water ice on the moon's south polar region. As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stge will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develope as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecrat will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft wil analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments will study the 2.2-millon-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. "The LCROSS mission will help us to determine if there is water hidden in the permanently dark craters on the moon's south pole." said Marvin( (Chris) Christensen, Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) manager, and Deputy Director of NASA Ames. |
| Date |
4/10/06 |
|
ACD06-0232-003
LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observa
…
4/10/06
| Description |
LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) Mission Art IMAGES COURTESY OF NORTHROP GRUMMAN, WILLIAM FURLONG, ARTIST This NASA Ames spacecraft is a small "secondary payload" spacecraft that will travel with Lunar Reconnaissance Obriter (LRO) satellite to the moon on the same rocket, the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) to be launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida in a search for water ice on the moon's south polar region. As the spacecraft approaches the moon's south pole, the upper stge will separate, and then will impact a crater in the south pole area. A plume from the upper stage crash will develope as the Shepherding Spacecraft heads in toward the moon. The Shepherding Spacecrat will fly through the plume, and instruments on the spacecraft wil analyze the cloud to look for signs of water and other compounds. Additional space and Earth-based instruments will study the 2.2-millon-pound (1000-metric-ton) plume. "The LCROSS mission will help us to determine if there is water hidden in the permanently dark craters on the moon's south pole." said Marvin( (Chris) Christensen, Robotic Lunar Exploration Program (RLEP) manager, and Deputy Director of NASA Ames. |
| Date |
4/10/06 |
|
|
