Cassini: A Remarkable Journey

Cassini began it's Grand Finale last month. Learn how this spectacular mission will end!

Cassini is a NASA mission, launched in 1997, designed to study the planet Saturn and its moons. This mission has produced astonishing imagery, a multitude of scientific results, dropped a probe (European Space Agency's Huygens probe) into the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan and is now on its way to its final goal, when it plummets into Saturn's atmosphere. This year, the spacecraft has been diving between the cloud tops and the innermost of Saturn's rings. Cassini also revealed hints about the ocean of the moon Enceladus and the extensive cracking in the crust of its surface.

Join Tony Darnell and Carol Christian during Afternoon Astronomy Coffee on May 25, 2017 at 3PM Eastern (Daylight) Time as they discuss with Scott Edgington, Jo Pitesky and Morgan Cable (JPL) about this astonishing mission and some of the highlights of its voyage and science results.

[chenus]

Thanks for subtitles! It's really helpful for not english-talking people.

[SquallAdv]

What a great hangout Tony! Big thanks to you and the Cassini team, loved it!

[zan]

Got my coffee & enjoying the hangout!

[silvasdamata]

Hey Tony, hey folks, great hangout, thank you! I'm in Cuba atm and unable to watch the direct streaming and I noted that one question/partial question that I was interested in was read but not really answered... What's the chance of the general public/private sector building cube-sat-like probes that could "hitch a ride" on a main mission and that could do complementary science, such as diving into Saturn or maybe diving into/floating on some of Titan's lakes? Or something very risky like crusing through the rings as far as it can go until it crashes into some high speed particle. Or simply go into orbit around any of the moons! Maybe it's possible for a New Frontiers or Flagship mission to develop a "cubesat cylinder case" or a "cubesat case array" that could travel with minimal interaction with the rest of the spaceship and be deployed in orbit, so as to minimize risk? Maybe the "hitch-hikers" could help fund the costs of the mission and thus pay for the added risk (and a little more)?

[alexanderostrov]

more Cassini videos will be on instagram page @cassinigrandfinale check it!!!

[donchristie]

If the earth is flat, why don't they send a probe to look under us??

[redventrue]

So if I open a can of tuna in the kitchen all scientists and engineers in hearing distance will come running? 'Cause that's how I herd cats.