Cassini/Huygens Mission Update Thread Pt. 2

vogon13 · Oct 30, 2005

JPL website doesn't seem to get much updating over the weekend, does it? I am anxious to see the Huygens site to. Presumably, details from the descent images can be correlated to the radar scan, and then extrapolated across the Titanian globe. Hoping for some Methone pix too, but I don't know if they held off since the better encounter is only a year out now. I did note that the latest Titan flyby was close enough for the radar to be employed in its active mode for mapping rather than in its passive mode used in more distant flybys of moons for thermal and compositional (not mapping) scanning. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!So many people, so few recipes !!Let's clean up this stinkhole !! </div>

telfrow · Oct 31, 2005

Iceball Among Snowballs The moon Enceladus seems to hover above the outer reaches of Saturn's B ring. Below and to the right of Enceladus, four faint bands lie in the center of the dark Cassini Division. Recently, scientists have speculated that the particles that make up the dense B and A rings might be more like fluffy snowballs than hard ice cubes. The conclusion is based on temperature data obtained by the Cassini spacecraft. Enceladus' diameter is 505 kilometers (314 miles). The icy moon is on the near side of the rings in this view. This image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 15, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2.3 million kilometers (1.4 million miles) from Enceladus. The image scale is 14 kilometers (9 miles) per pixel on Enceladus. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07619.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

thechemist · Nov 1, 2005

Calliarcale - Unfortunately, it always takes a long time to get the radar pics assembled. I'm getting impatient already. It didn't take that long <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA03569 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I feel better than James Brown. </div>

telfrow · Nov 1, 2005

Tectonic Features This synthetic aperture radar image of Titan was taken on Oct. 28, 2005, as the Cassini spacecraft flew by at a distance of 1,350 kilometers (840 miles). This was the first pass dedicated to radar, and it was the fourth time Cassini's radar honed in on the smoggy moon. The bright, curving features are high-standing ridges, poking up above the plains of Titan. Some of the ridges extend for over 100 kilometers (60 miles). They are likely to be tectonic in origin, formed by deformation of Titan's icy crust. The low-lying terrain between the ridges is covered in dark streaks, which could be dunes formed by wind. The streaks, spaced 1 to 2 kilometers apart (0.6 to 1 mile), curve between patches of the bright terrain, which probably act as topographic barriers. This image is 400 kilometers (250 miles) across and 275 kilometers-wide (170 miles). It is located 8 degrees south latitude and 215 degrees west longitude. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia03566.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 1, 2005

Dunes Galore Large areas of this Cassini synthetic aperture radar image of Titan are covered by long, dark ridges. They resemble the "cat scratches" seen in other places on Titan, but here they are longer and straighter. Spaced about 1 to 2 kilometers (0.6 to 1 miles) apart, they curve slightly around teardrop-shaped bright terrain, giving the impression of a Japanese garden of sand raked around boulders. The bright material appears to be high-standing rough material that the ridges bend around. This suggests that the ridges are dunes that winds have blown across the surface of Titan from left to right (roughly west to east). This image was taken during the ninth Titan flyby on Oct. 28, 2005, (the fourth flyby for Cassini's synthetic aperture radar), at a distance of about 1300 kilometers (800 miles). The image covers an area roughly 140 kilometers by 200 kilometers (120 miles). It is located 13 degrees south latitude and 300 degrees west longitude. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia03567.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 1, 2005

Diverse Geology The geologic diversity of Titan's surface is well illustrated by this synthetic aperture radar image, obtained on Oct. 28, 2005, during the Cassini spacecraft's ninth Titan fly-by and fourth radar pass. The bottom left and top right parts of the image show a series of parallel features resembling those discovered during the second radar pass. Called "cat scratches," these may be dunes of water ice or hydrocarbon particles. The brighter area on the bottom right is thought to be rougher and possibly higher in elevation than the darker areas. Above the center of the image are dark, narrow winding channels carved by, and possibly still containing, liquids. This image is about 300 kilometers (186 miles) by 250 kilometers (155miles). It is located 10 degrees south latitude and 292 degrees west longitude. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia03568.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 3, 2005

Moons with Separate Paths Saturn's expansive rings separate the moon's Tethys (at the top) from Dione (at the bottom). Even in this distant view, it is easy to see that the moons' surfaces, and likely their evolutionary histories, are very different. Both moons are on the far side of the rings in this scene, which shows their Saturn-facing hemispheres (terrain centered on 0 degrees longitude). The dark shadow across the rings is cast by Saturn's southern hemisphere. The diameter of Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) and the diameter of Dione is 1,126 kilometers (700 miles). This image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 12, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is about 17 kilometers (11 miles) per pixel on the two moons. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07623.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 4, 2005

Naming New Lands -- October Flyby with Labels Like an ancient mariner charting the coastline of an unexplored wilderness, Cassini's repeated encounters with Titan are turning a mysterious world into a more familiar place. During a Titan flyby on Oct. 28, 2005, the spacecraft's narrow-angle camera acquired multiple images that were combined to create the mosaic presented here. Provisional names applied to Titan's features are shown; an unlabelled version of the mosaic is also available (see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07754.html). The mosaic is a high resolution close-up of two contrasting regions: dark Shangri-La and bright Xanadu. This view has a resolution of 1 kilometer (0.6 mile) per pixel and is centered at 2.5 degrees north latitude, 145 degrees west longitude, near the feature called Santorini Facula. The mosaic is composed of 10 images obtained on Oct. 28, 2005, each processed to enhance surface detail. It is an orthographic projection, rotated so that north on Titan is up. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07752.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 4, 2005

Naming New Lands -- September Flyby with Labels Like an ancient mariner charting the coastline of an unexplored wilderness, Cassini's repeated encounters with Titan are turning a mysterious world into a more familiar place. During a Titan flyby on Sept. 7, 2005, the spacecraft's narrow-angle camera acquired multiple images that were combined to create the mosaic presented here. Provisional names applied to Titan's features are shown; an unlabelled version of the mosaic is also available (see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07755.html). The image shows more than half of Titan's Saturn-facing hemisphere at moderate resolution, including the Fensal-Aztlan region, formerly "the H." This view is centered at 6.5 degrees north latitude, 20.6 degrees west longitude, and has a pixel scale of about 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel. It is an orthographic projection, rotated so that north on Titan is up. This view is composed of 20 images obtained on Sept. 7, 2005, each processed to enhance surface detail. The central portion of this mosaic was previously released without labels (see http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07732.html). http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07753.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 9, 2005

Titan's Ultraviolet Haze Looking back toward the sun brings out the thin haze than hovers 500 kilometers (310 miles) above Saturn's moon Titan. The haze is composed of small particles whose diameter is comparable to the wavelength of light, which is ultraviolet light centered at 338 nanometers. Particles of this scale scatter sunlight most effectively in the direction opposite to the direction of sunlight. Scientists are still trying to understand what processes produce this thin, high-altitude haze layer. North on Titan is up and tilted 10 degrees to the right. Titan is 5,150 kilometers (3,200 miles) across. This image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 24, 2005, at a distance of approximately 917,000 kilometers (570,000 miles) from Titan and at a Sun-Titan-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 145 degrees. Image scale is 5 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07626.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 9, 2005

Wisps in Color Saturn's moon Dione is about to swing around the edge of the thin F ring in this color view. More than one thin strand of the F ring's tight spiral can be seen here. The terrain seen on Dione is on the moon's Saturn-facing hemisphere. The diameter of Dione is 1,126 kilometers (700 miles). Images taken using infrared, green and ultraviolet spectral filters were composited to create this color view. The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 20, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 48 degrees. The image scale is 12 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07627.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 10, 2005

Satellite Trio This excellent grouping of three moons --Dione, Tethys and Pandora-- near the rings provides a sampling of the diversity of worlds that exists in Saturn's realm. A 330-kilometer-wide (205 mile) impact basin can be seen near the bottom right on Dione (at left). Ithaca Chasma and the region imaged during the Cassini spacecraft's Sept. 24, 2005, flyby can be seen on Tethys (middle). Little Pandora makes a good showing here as well, displaying a hint of surface detail. Tethys is on the far side of the rings in this view; Dione and Pandora are much nearer to the Cassini spacecraft. Dione is 1,126 kilometers (700 miles) across. Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) across and Pandora is 84 kilometers (52 miles) across. This image was taken in visible blue light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 22, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.2 million kilometers (800,000 miles) from Saturn. The image scale is about 5 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel on Dione and Pandora and 9 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel on Tethys. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07628.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

thechemist · Nov 11, 2005

You know, Cassini has really spoiled us. This image is artistic. Gorgeous !! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> I feel better than James Brown. </div>

telfrow · Nov 11, 2005

Try this one...<img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> A Privileged View From Saturn orbit, the Cassini spacecraft provides a perspective on the ringed planet that is never seen from Earth. In our skies, Saturn's disk is always nearly fully illuminated by the sun. From this vantage point -- nearly in the ringplane, with the sun over to the right - the Cassini spacecraft can see both lit and dark hemispheres, with the shadow of the rings on the northern hemisphere. Saturn's low density and fast rotation cause its shape to deviate from spherical to a pronounced oblateness, very apparent here. The image was taken using the Cassini spacecraft wide-angle camera and a filter sensitive to wavelengths of infrared light centered at 728 nanometers. The image was acquired on Sept. 30, 2005, at a distance of approximately 2.4 million kilometers (1.5 million miles) from Saturn and at a Sun-Saturn-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 79 degrees. The mage scale is 139 kilometers (86 miles) per pixel. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07629.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 13, 2005

N00042993.jpg was taken on November 12, 2005 and received on Earth November 12, 2005. The camera was pointing toward IAPETUS at approximately 418,425 kilometers away, and the image was taken using the P120 and GRN filters. This image has not been validated or calibrated. A validated/calibrated image will be archived with the NASA Planetary Data System in 2006. Raw images here: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-list.cfm?StartRow=1&cacheQ=1&browseLatest=0&storedQ=1117346 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 15, 2005

The Face-off November 14, 2005 The moons Dione and Tethys face each other across the gulf of Saturn's rings. Here, the Cassini spacecraft looks on the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Tethys below and the anti-Saturn side of Dione above. The dark groove in the rings is the Cassini Division. Tethys is 1,071 kilometers (665 miles) across, while Dione is 1,126 kilometers (700 miles) across. This image was taken in visible light with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 22, 2005, at a distance of approximately 860,000 kilometers (530,000 miles) from Dione. Tethys was on the far side of the rings, 1.5 million kilometers (900,000 miles) from Cassini. The image scale is 5 kilometers (3 miles) per pixel on Dione and 9 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel on Tethys. http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/image-details.cfm?imageID=1843 <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 15, 2005

Graceful Lanes of Ice The dark Cassini Division, within Saturn's rings, contains a great deal of structure, as seen in this color image. The sharp inner boundary of the division (left of center) is the outer edge of the massive B ring and is maintained by the gravitational influence of the moon Mimas. Spectroscopic observations by Cassini indicate that the Cassini Division, similar to the C ring, contains more contaminated ice than do the B and A rings on either side. This view is centered on a region approximately 118,500 kilometers (73,600 miles) from Saturn's center. (Saturn is 120,500-kilometers-wide (74,900 miles) at its equator.) From left to right, the image spans approximately 11,000 kilometers (6,800 miles) across the ringplane. A closer view of the outer edge of the Cassini Division can be seen in PIA07616. Images taken using red, green and blue spectral filters were combined to create this view, which approximates what the human eye might see. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on May 18, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.6 million kilometers (1 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 9 kilometers (6 miles) per pixel. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07631.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 16, 2005

Pandora's Color Close-up Cassini's best close-up view of Saturn's F ring shepherd moon, Pandora, shows that this small ring-moon is coated in fine dust-sized icy material. Craters formed on this object by impacts appear to be covered by debris, a process that probably happens rapidly in a geologic sense. The grooves and small ridges on Pandora (84 kilometers, or 52 miles across) suggest that fractures affect the overlying smooth material. The crisp craters on another Saturn moon, Hyperion, provide a contrasting example of craters on a small object (see PIA07740). Cassini acquired infrared, green and ultraviolet images on Sept. 5, 2005, which were combined to create this false-color view. The image was taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera at a distance of approximately 52,000 kilometers (32,000 miles) from Pandora and at a Sun-Pandora-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 54 degrees. Resolution in the original image was about 300 meters (1,000 feet) per pixel. The image has been magnified by a factor of two to aid visibility. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07632.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 17, 2005

Colorful Cratered Calypso This color image provides the best look yet at Saturn's moon Calypso, a Trojan (trailing moon) of the larger moon Tethys. Calypso trails Tethys in its orbit by 60 degrees. Telesto is the other Tethys Trojan, orbiting Saturn 60 degrees ahead of Tethys. Calypso is 22 kilometers (14 miles) across. Calypso, like many other small Saturnian moons and small asteroids, is irregularly shaped by overlapping large craters. Although the resolution here is not as high as in Cassini's best images of Pandora and Telesto, this moon appears to also have loose surface material capable of smoothing the appearance of craters. Images taken using ultraviolet, green and infrared spectral filters were combined to create this false-color view. The images were taken with the Cassini spacecraft narrow-angle camera on Sept. 23, 2005, at a distance of approximately 101,000 kilometers (63,000 miles) from Calypso and at a Sun-Calypso-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 61 degrees. Resolution in the original image was 602 meters (1,976 feet) per pixel. The image has been contrast-enhanced and magnified by a factor of three to aid visibility. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07633.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 18, 2005

The Land Beneath the Murk The "H"-shaped region Fensal-Aztlan is faintly visible on Saturn's murky moon Titan in this enhanced clear-filter view from Cassini. While most of the light passing through the clear filters is visible light, a small portion of the light is in the treasured infrared windows that allow views down to the moon's frigid surface. At the upper left, dark wavelike features in the atmosphere encircle the moon's north pole. See: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07634.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 22, 2005

Sleek Rings, Rugged Moon Rhea floats below the innermost regions of Saturn's amazing rings. This view of the Saturn-facing hemisphere of Rhea (1,528 kilometers, or 949 miles across) allows a glimpse of the wispy terrain that covers the trailing hemisphere of Rhea. (See PIA06575 & PIA06578 for similar views of the wispy terrain.) The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini narrow-angle camera on Oct. 9, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.9 million kilometers (1.2 million miles) from Rhea and at a Sun-Rhea-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 51 degrees. The image scale is 12 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 22, 2005

Captivating Dione The soft appearance of Dione's wispy terrains belies their true nature. They are, in fact, complex systems of crisp, braided fractures that cover the moon's trailing hemisphere. (See PIA06162 for a closer view of the fractures.) This view shows the western potion of the wispy terrain on Dione (1,126 kilometers, or 700 miles across). The craters Dido and Antenor can be seen near the terminator at lower left. In the rings above, the dark Cassini Division between the A and B rings is visible. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini narrow-angle camera on Oct. 9, 2005, at a distance of approximately 1.8 million kilometers (1.1 million miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 52 degrees. The image scale is 11 kilometers (7 miles) per pixel. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

Leovinus · Nov 22, 2005

Compare with Dione captured by Voyager 1 on November 12, 1980. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

telfrow · Nov 22, 2005

Cassini to Visit Saturn's Moon Rhea 11.22.05 -- In the outpost of the Saturn system the moon Rhea waits for the Cassini spacecraft. On Saturday, Nov. 26, the spacecraft will come within 500 kilometers (310 miles) of its surface. Rhea's cratered surface looks in some ways similar to our own Moon, or the planet Mercury. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

telfrow · Nov 23, 2005

On Approach to Dione Cassini prepared for its rendezvous with Dione on Oct. 11, 2005, capturing the brilliant, cratered iceball in front of its shadow-draped planet. The terrain seen here becomes notably darker toward the west, and is crosscut by the bright, fresh canyons that form wispy markings on Dione's trailing hemisphere. Dione is 1,126 kilometers (700 miles) across. The image was taken in visible light with the Cassini wide-angle camera at a distance of approximately 24,500 kilometers (15,200 miles) from Dione and at a Sun-Dione-spacecraft, or phase, angle of 22 degrees. The image scale is about 2 kilometers (1 mile) per pixel. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/multimedia/pia07637.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will to strive, to seek, to find and not to yeild. - Tennyson </div>

Cassini/Huygens Mission Update Thread Pt. 2

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