Getting Closer

Posted on Wednesday 16 June 2004 to Quintessence

Just a reminder that we could all be paying more attention to the Cassini-Huygens space probe right now.


Only 15.7 million kilometers to go.

Important Dates
July 1, 2004 Arrival at Saturn (12:12 a.m. EDT).
October 26, 2004 First close flyby of Titan.
January 14, 2005 Huygens probe separates from Cassini and descends into Titan's atmosphere (Descent begins 5 a.m. EST).
August 1, 2005 Mimas flyby.
September 23, 2005 Tethys flyby.
September 25, 2005 Hyperion flyby.
October 10, 2005 Dione flyby.
November 25, 2005 Rhea flyby.
December 3, 2007 Epimetheus flyby.

Update: Andrew suggests that I post a few images from the recent flyby of Saturn's moon Phoebe.



Pheobe is the furthest of Saturn's major moons and is distinguished by its deformed shape and the fact that it orbits Saturn in the opposite direction to the other moons. These latest images indicate that the object may be made up mainly of ice which goes some way to confirming the theory that the moon was once the nucleus of a comet which had been captured by Saturn's gravitational field.

More images here.