NASA Recap: Saturn End of Mission

After two decades in space, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has completed its remarkable journey of exploration. Hear from the team behind the mission and its epic Grand Finale.

Participants include:
-- Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington
-- Michael Watkins, director, JPL
-- Earl Maize, Cassini project manager, JPL
-- Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, JPL
-- Julie Webster, spacecraft operations chief, JPL

[pisastorica]

I feel useless today.
Cassini was a machine, a set of processors, cables, cameras and many tools... but there was so much humanity in that spacecraft, more than so many people on this planet.
I think of other missions that are finished on planets or comets, such as Messenger or Rosetta, or on a moon like the Huygens lander. I imagine a very distant "tomorrow", maybe 100 years...no one can know. A tomorrow where someone or "something", maybe a robotic spaceship, can withdraw what remains of these veteran spaceships, reassemble them if necessary and bring them back to Earth, so that they are honored as HEROES.
Cassini will never return to Earth. It will remain there, confined in the nucleus of Saturn where it rains slowly drop by drop.
It would be nice to make a monument to remind her always, now that she has stopped sending us its extraordinary images that I can never forget in my life.

[mohammedtlas]

I want another Spacecraft as amazing as this

[kjettilfelterus]

Thank you, Cassini. And thank you to the team for showing what mankind can be.

[gabyu]

Can't wait to see the next generation of spacecrafts, which could last longer or transmit data at a faster rate. Hope this happens in our lifetimes.

[bluejackgirlyx]

Thanks JPL = for giving us a quick video to get up to speed/ Love you guys and gals. xo - NY

Thanks for sharing this amazing journey!

[johnkowlok]

Thank you Cassini-Huygens for proving (to convolute R. Browning) that with vision, passion and boldness humankinds' grasp can far exceed our reach.

[f-s-r]

Incredible mission. Congratulations!!
note: there seems to be a problem with the closed captions on the video, they start like 5 minutes after the video.

[kolossalsquid]

Keep coming by Low Roar
Faintly I'll go
to take this
head on
soon i'll come around
lost and never found
waiting for my words
seen but never heard
buried underground
but i'll keep coming
whipe those
tears off
and make your
heart proud
soon i'll come around
lost and never found
waiting for my words
seen but never heard
buried underground
but i'll keep coming

[kolossalsquid]

Mitternacht
Anna and the Ensemble of shadows
Your body is covered in fur... you're beautiful.
You're in and out of this world... you're beautiful.

Your skin is scarred and you hurt... you're beautiful.
I know that you stand by your word... 'cause you're beautiful.

Secretly beautiful.

[basavarajmanurkar]

So Cassini mixed up with rings of Saturn, can we find it by sending another satellite?

[ELMENDORFX]

Ive been following Cassini progress since....

 I kinda disagreed with it being destroyed in Saturn's atmosphere. But oh well. I suppose it was a better option considering a chance of contamination of a Saturn moon.However, I guess it was nice to get the money shot. Anyway; congratulation JPL/NASA/Caltech.... Earth. Thank You

[hollydepthexplain]

Cassini eng of mission very sad news 😭 but try againg💕🇺🇸👑

[bluejackgirlyx]

this seems like alot of patting on the back here...no info, no data, just "we are great" and deserve raises and bonuses!

[pixoariz]

So long hey thanks my friend /
I guess I'll try my luck again /
Well the danger on the rocks is surely past /
Still I remain tied to the mast /
Could it be that I have found my home at last /
Home at last

[Rell_k]

Is we going to died just be honest with me