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NASA's Cassini spacecraft ends 13-year mission to Saturn

NASA's Cassini spacecraft was decommissioned on 15th September as NASA scientists fear that the spacecraft might accidentally collide with one of the moons and contaminate it. The grand finale of Cassini, as NASA called it,was inevitable as the spacecraft's fuel tank had started getting low in these 13 years of exploration.
Scientists at NASA named the spacecraft Cassini after Italy's Giovanni Domenico Cassini, who discovered four moons and the wide division in Saturn's rings In pic: Image made available by NASA shows the planet Saturn, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (
Scientists at NASA named the spacecraft Cassini after Italy's Giovanni Domenico Cassini, who discovered four moons and the wide division in Saturn's rings In pic: Image made available by NASA shows the planet Saturn, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (
Associated Press
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Cassini rocketed from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 15, 1997, carrying with it the European Huygens lander. The spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. Six months later, Huygens detached from Cassini and successfully parachuted onto the giant moon Titan. In pic: Bright methane clouds drifting in the summer skies of Saturn's moon Titan, along with dark hydrocarbon lakes and seas clustered around the north pole, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Cassini rocketed from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Oct. 15, 1997, carrying with it the European Huygens lander. The spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004. Six months later, Huygens detached from Cassini and successfully parachuted onto the giant moon Titan. In pic: Bright methane clouds drifting in the summer skies of Saturn's moon Titan, along with dark hydrocarbon lakes and seas clustered around the north pole, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Cassini remained in orbit around Saturn, the only spacecraft to ever circle the planet. Last April, NASA put Cassini on an ever-descending series of final orbits, leading to Friday's swan dive. Better that, they figured, than Cassini accidentally colliding with a moon that might harbor life and contaminating it. In pic: Image made available by NASA shows the atmospheric haze on the moon Titan as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent towards Saturn. (Photo | AP)
Cassini remained in orbit around Saturn, the only spacecraft to ever circle the planet. Last April, NASA put Cassini on an ever-descending series of final orbits, leading to Friday's swan dive. Better that, they figured, than Cassini accidentally colliding with a moon that might harbor life and contaminating it. In pic: Image made available by NASA shows the atmospheric haze on the moon Titan as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent towards Saturn. (Photo | AP)
Traveling too far from the sun to reap its energy, Cassini used plutonium for electrical power to feed its science instruments. Its separate main fuel tank, however, was getting low when NASA put the spacecraft on the no-turning-back Grand Finale. In pic: Composite image made available by NASA shows an infrared view of Saturn's moon, Titan, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Traveling too far from the sun to reap its energy, Cassini used plutonium for electrical power to feed its science instruments. Its separate main fuel tank, however, was getting low when NASA put the spacecraft on the no-turning-back Grand Finale. In pic: Composite image made available by NASA shows an infrared view of Saturn's moon, Titan, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
The mission already had achieved great success, and despite the chance of pounding Cassini with ring debris, flight controllers directed the spacecraft into the narrow gap between the rings and Saturn's cloud tops. Cassini successfully sailed through the gap 22 times, providing ever better close-ups of Saturn. In pic: The moon Enceladus and the edge of Saturn as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent towards the planet. (Photo | AP)
The mission already had achieved great success, and despite the chance of pounding Cassini with ring debris, flight controllers directed the spacecraft into the narrow gap between the rings and Saturn's cloud tops. Cassini successfully sailed through the gap 22 times, providing ever better close-ups of Saturn. In pic: The moon Enceladus and the edge of Saturn as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent towards the planet. (Photo | AP)
Cassini discovered swarms of moonlets in Saturn's rings, including one called Peggy that made the short list for final picture-taking. Scientists wanted one last look to see if Peggy had broken free of its ring. Data from the spacecraft indicate Saturn's rings which consist of icy bits ranging in size from dust to mountains may be on the less massive side. In pic: Saturn's shadow on its rings as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Cassini discovered swarms of moonlets in Saturn's rings, including one called Peggy that made the short list for final picture-taking. Scientists wanted one last look to see if Peggy had broken free of its ring. Data from the spacecraft indicate Saturn's rings which consist of icy bits ranging in size from dust to mountains may be on the less massive side. In pic: Saturn's shadow on its rings as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Saturn has 62 known moons, including six discovered by Cassini. The biggest, by far, is the first one discovered way back in the 1655: Titan, which slightly outdoes Mercury. Its lakes hold liquid methane, which could hold some new, exotic form of life. In pic: The crescents of three of Saturn's moons - Titan, right; Mimas, bottom, and Rhea, left. (Photo | AP)
Saturn has 62 known moons, including six discovered by Cassini. The biggest, by far, is the first one discovered way back in the 1655: Titan, which slightly outdoes Mercury. Its lakes hold liquid methane, which could hold some new, exotic form of life. In pic: The crescents of three of Saturn's moons - Titan, right; Mimas, bottom, and Rhea, left. (Photo | AP)
In all, Cassini collected more than 453,000 images and traveled 4.9 billion miles. It was an international endeavor, with 27 nations taking part. The final price tag was 3.9 billion dollar. In pic: Image taken using the CL1 and RED filters and made available by NASA shows Saturn's moon Titan, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
In all, Cassini collected more than 453,000 images and traveled 4.9 billion miles. It was an international endeavor, with 27 nations taking part. The final price tag was 3.9 billion dollar. In pic: Image taken using the CL1 and RED filters and made available by NASA shows Saturn's moon Titan, as seen from the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Dutiful to the end, the Cassini snapped its last photos Thursday and sampled Saturn's atmosphere Friday morning as it made its final plunge. It was over in a minute or two. In pic: A hydrocarbon sea named Ligeia Mare on Saturn's moon Titan, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Dutiful to the end, the Cassini snapped its last photos Thursday and sampled Saturn's atmosphere Friday morning as it made its final plunge. It was over in a minute or two. In pic: A hydrocarbon sea named Ligeia Mare on Saturn's moon Titan, as seen by the Cassini spacecraft. (Photo | AP)
Scientists would love to return to Enceladus or Titan to search for any potential life. Nothing is firmly on the books right now. But there are proposals to go back, submitted under NASA's New Frontiers program. In pic: It shows the northern hemisphere of Saturn as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent towards the planet. (Photo | AP)
Scientists would love to return to Enceladus or Titan to search for any potential life. Nothing is firmly on the books right now. But there are proposals to go back, submitted under NASA's New Frontiers program. In pic: It shows the northern hemisphere of Saturn as seen from the Cassini spacecraft on its descent towards the planet. (Photo | AP)
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