It ’s been a road trip like no other . Afterseven yearsand 2.2 billion miles , the NASA orbiter Cassini finally make it at the Saturn arrangement on June 30 , 2004 . Ever since , it ’s been capturing and transmitting valuable data about the distant surroundings . From sending theHuygens probeto land on the moonTitanto witnessing hurricanes on both of the planet ’s poles , Cassini has informed more than 3000 scientific papers .
It ’s been as impressive a mission as any spacecraft has ever guarantee . And tomorrow , Cassini will perform one last effort : give itself to Saturn ’s intense atm . Project scientist are by choice plunging it into the planet in parliamentary procedure to ensure just a little more data — and to keep the spacecraft , which is move low on fuel , from one 24-hour interval colliding with a Saturnian moon thatmight harbor life .
Because it wo n’t have time to store anything on its hard drive , Cassini willlivestreamits hell of glory via NASA . The data will be composed mostly of measurements , since pictures would take too long to send . or else , we ’ll getdataabout Saturn ’s magnetic airfield and the composition of its dust and flatulence .
" As we flee through the air , we are able to literally scoop up some molecule , and from those we can figure out the ground truth in Saturn ’s atmospheric state , " Scott Edgington , a Cassini project scientist , toldNew Scientist . " Just like almost everything else in this mission , I anticipate to be completely surprised . "
The activity will kick off at 7 a.m. EDT on Friday , September 15 . Scientists look tosay goodbyeto Cassini less than an hour afterward .
While you wait for Cassini ’s grand finale , you may check out someessential factswe’ve round up from Saturn expert . And keep your oculus peel for a full recapitulation of Cassini ’s historic journey : Mental Floss will be in the ascendance room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena , California , to offer a firsthand account of the craft ’s last moments in space .
