Where is the Cassini Now?

The final full view of Saturn from Cassini, on September 13, 2017. Image via NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI. September 15, 2017. On this date, the Cassini spacecraft plunged into the planet Saturn, becoming part of the planet it had been orbiting since 2004.

What planet just had Cassini crash into it?

Saturn
It began orbiting Saturn in 2004. On September 15, 2017, the 20-year Cassini mission ended in a “death dive” into Saturn’s upper atmosphere, collecting data until the spacecraft broke apart and became part of the planet it set out to explore.

Is Cassini a flyby?

Cassini Completes Final — and Fateful — Titan Flyby. This unprocessed image of Saturn’s moon Titan was captured by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft during its final close flyby of the hazy, planet-sized moon on April 21, 2017.

Is Cassini still in orbit?

Cassini Spacecraft Ends Its Historic Exploration of Saturn NASA’s Cassini spacecraft made its final approach to Saturn and dove into the planet’s atmosphere on Friday, Sept. 15, 2017. Loss of contact with the Cassini spacecraft took place on Sept.

Why was Cassini crashed?

Having expended almost every bit of the rocket propellant it carried to Saturn, operators deliberately plunged Cassini into the planet to ensure Saturn’s moons remain pristine for future exploration—in particular, the ice-covered, ocean-bearing moon Enceladus, but also Titan, with its intriguing pre-biotic chemistry.

Why did they destroy Cassini?

The mission ended on September 15, 2017, when Cassini’s trajectory took it into Saturn’s upper atmosphere and it burned up in order to prevent any risk of contaminating Saturn’s moons, which might have offered habitable environments to stowaway terrestrial microbes on the spacecraft.

What if you fell into Saturn?

So, if you tried to walk on this part of Saturn, you would sink through its atmosphere. Saturn’s atmosphere is very thick and its pressure increases the deeper you go. After a while, you would stop sinking and unfortunately be crushed by the high pressure deeper in Saturn’s atmosphere.

Why did NASA destroy Cassini?

Why was Cassini crashed into Saturn?

How long did Cassini take to get to Saturn?

1. How did the Cassini probe get to Saturn and why did it take so long? Pioneer 11 and the Voyager probes took the direct route, reaching Saturn in three years, but Cassini took seven. That is because it was too heavy to send express.