CassiniHuygens: Mission to Saturn

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Cassini/Huygens Mission to Saturn

• Maj Christian Ready
• Tri-Wing Encampment

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Saturn Facts

• Second largest
• 6th from Sun
• Titan has nitrogen-rich
  atmosphere
• Emits 79 more energy than it receives from Sun
• Receives 1/90th as much sunlight as Earth
• Largest, complex ring system
• 32 known moons

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Saturn Facts

• Diameter 120,660 Km
• Mass 569x1024Kg
• Rotation Period 10hr 40m

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Saturns Atmosphere

• Hydrogen (94)
• Helium (5)
• Other (1)
• ammonia, methane, ethane, phosphine, acetylene,
  methylacetylene, and propane

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Saturns Winds

• 1,100 mph equatorial
• Second fastest in solar system
• Compared to
• Jet airplane (550mph)
• Cat 5 hurricane (220mph)
• Tsunami in open water (550mph)
• Speed of sound (660mph _at_ 30,000 feet)

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Saturn Earth Compared

• Earth-Moon distance 384,000 km (239,000 miles)
• Saturn and ring system diameter 340,000 km
  (211,310 miles)

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Mission Overview

• Two Spacecraft
• Cassini (Orbiter)
• Huygens (Titan Lander)
• 4-year exploration
• Saturn
• Titan
• Ring System
• Other Satellites

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Launch

• Titan IVB/Centaur
• Cape Canaveral, FL
• 15 October 1997

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Oct 15 1997 0443 EDT
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Cassini/Huygens Interplanetary Trajectory
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Earth-Moon Flyby

• August 17, 1999

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August 17, 1999
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Jupiter Flyby

• Oct 2000 Jan 2001

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Jupiter and Io October 2000
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Jupiter October 23 2000
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Jupiter Ganymede November 18 2000
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Jupiter Io December 01 2000
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Jupiter Ganymede December 03 2000
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Callisto, Europa, Jupiter December 07 2000
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Jupiter Io December 12 2000
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December 13 2000
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Closest Approach December 29 2000
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Jupiter Io January 01 2001
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Jupiter Io January 17 2001
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From Jupiter to Saturn

• January 2001 July 2004

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Saturn Science Objectives

• Atmosphere temperature and composition
• Measure the global wind field
• Cloud features and processes
• Infer internal structure and rotation of the deep
  atmosphere
• Daily variations of the ionosphere
• Saturns formation and evolution
• Investigate sources of Saturn lightning

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Titan Saturn October 21 2002
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March 27 2004
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May 21 2004
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May 25 2004
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Arrival at Saturn

• June 2004

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Phoebe June 12 2004
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Titan June 21 2004
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Ring System June 21 2004
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Ring System June 21 2004
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Rings Science Objectives

• How were rings formed?
• What is the age of the rings?
• How are rings maintained?
• How do they interact with Saturn, other
  satellites and electromagnetic fields?

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Orbit Insertion

• June 30 July 1 2004

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Touring Saturn
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Highlights of the Saturn Tour

• 74 Orbits of Saturn
• 45 Close flybys of Titan
• 8 close "targeted" flybys of other satellites
• Enceladus, Phoebe, Hyperion, Dione, Rhea, Iapetus
  
• 30 additional satellite flybys at distances less
  than 100,000 kilometers

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July 02 2004 Feb 15 2005
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Icy Satellite Science Objectives

• Determine general characteristics and histories
• Understand how/why their surfaces change, and
  what they are made of
• Infer their bulk compositions and internal
  structures.
• Investigate interactions with the magnetosphere
  and ring systems and possible gas injections into
  the magnetosphere.

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Rhea July 02 2004
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Dione July 02 2004
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Tethys July 03 2004
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Iapetus July 03 2004
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Mimas July 03 2004
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Titan July 02 2004
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Titan July 03 2004
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Titan July 03 2004
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Enceladus July 03 2004
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Rings July 03 2004
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Saturn July 13 2004
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Huygens Probe Deployment to Titan

• December 25 2004

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Titan Science Objectives

• Determine the abundance of atmospheric
  constituents
• Infer evolution and formation of Titan
• Measure winds and global temperatures
• Investigate cloud physics, general circulation,
  and seasonal effects in Titans atmosphere
• Search for lightning discharges.

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Occultation Sequence

• February 15 2005 September 5 2005

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Feb 15 2005 Sep 7 2005
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Magnetosphere Study

• September 7 2005 July 22 2006

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Sep 7 2005 Jul 22 2006
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Titan 180-Degree Transfer

• July 22 2006 June 30 2007

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Jul 22 2006 June 07 2007
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Icy Satellite Study

• June 30 2007 August 31 2007

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Jun 07 2007 Aug 31 2007
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High-Inclination Sequence

• August 31 2007 July 1 2008

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Aug 31 2007 Jul 01 2008
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Cassini/Huygens Web Site

• http//saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/