Hoorah JPL, Hoorah NASA and ESA, here is to more exploratory missions to find out more about our neighborhood in space. RIP Cassini.
9
And to think we just recently discovered the amazing life that is in our very own thermal vents deep in our own oceans. And that funding for NASA and science in general is being cut.
I encourage all those who are hostile to science and to government funding for NASA, to please view this video. And to look up the recent information on our thermal vents. And to those of us who care deeply about the fragile environment on our own planet, the continued pollution and trashing of our precious oceans, to please speak out against this dangerous trend in our political leaders.
I am awestruck by this article, the photos and all the knowledge we have gained through this project. Thank you NASA. Thank you all the engineers and others who worked on this project.
15
The final disposition of Cassini to avoid conceivable microbial contamination seems logically inconsistent with the prior soft landing of the Huygens' probe on Titan.
3
Titan was not seen as a possibility for life. It was two of the other moons that were considered for life to be able to exist and they didn't want it crashing into either one of them.
5
Next time someone touts sending men on a mission to Mars, rebuke them with information found herein. Much more can be done for the investment with specialty scientific instruments. Men in space is a gimmick to pump up the public, or worse a military research project. Discovers are what matters, not boo-rah.
5
But where did the many pounds of lethal Plutonium 239 go, with its half life of 24,000 years????? You say we tried hard not to contaminate Saturn or its moons but it seems to me we may have poisoned them for half a million years! (Multiply half life by 10 for full lethal life.)
At the time Cassini went up many of us deplored the use of plutonium to fuel its machinery. We were ignored. And so is this question of where it went in your article.
MJ Williams - Where did you get this mistaken notion? The radioisotope thermoelectric generators in Cassini do not use Pu 239. Cassini uses 73lbs of Pu 239, whose half life is 87.7 years.
Your alarm is apparently for the sake of alarmism, as I found this data on Wikipedia in <5 minutes of research. Taking a swing at the authors here, when you didn't do even basic research, is low.
3
MJ Williams - I was so struck by your factual mistakes that I failed to mention the more obvious general one: your thesis is wrong too. Even if you had the isotope or half-life correct (which you do not), Saturn is a giant sphere of frozen gas with no life, and so there is nothing to "poison" there. You can't poison inanimate chemicals. And you misuse "them" as you speak of poisoning and should use "it." Saturn is not plural, and all of Cassini fell into it (not them), not into one of the moons that hold some small promise of supporting simple life by virtue of the liquid water there. You are wrong all over the board. No doubt your false claim will be a big hit online, where phony outrage is stock & trade.
3
If indeed it was "only" plutonium 238 that was used, that means we "only" contaminated Saturn for 877 years?
And we took that terrible chance that the rocket would not blow up on launch.
September 16, 2017
Cassini's memorial marker from another world Earth forever a celebratory tombstone to our Solar system, Milky Way, and the eternal Universe we share with bravery, dedication, and investments that are of infinite returns to for the love of science and the men and women that made this journey memorial as great as Christopher Columbus, Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong - all is wisdom when handled with the goals of discovery and lasting memories for sure as Cassini is on the top of Earth's list of accomplishments that is as near divine as any and all of this class - Accolades to the international collaborative minds that teach by example when sharing goals the sum is truth's arrow.
jja Manhattan, N.Y.
3
Thank you NYTimes!
Your coverage of the Cassini explorations has been poetic, and has again exposed your readership to the magic that surrounds us. In the dumbed-down political climate and dark global reality of the of the present, the Times always delivers analysis, critique, and news that rises far above the crowd.
Bravo!
15
“The signal from the spacecraft is gone and, within the next 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft...To the very end, the spacecraft did everything we asked.” {Earl Maize, program manager, announced at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab news conference}
This morning at about 1 A/m , I was watching the original Star Trek, specifically the 'NOMAD' episode: a centuries, old earth probe is discovered, examined, then jettisoned, when it becomes self-terminating...
While the actual NOMAD-item was a cheesy special effects-item...I was reminded of this Cassini-Huygens spacecraft...and, of course the Voyager probes, one of which was the subject of a 'Star Trek' movie...
While it would've been interesting to live in the projected 24th. century of Capt, Picard, (played by Sir Patrick Stewart), I'm also very pleased to be alive as the initial space-faring efforts of the human species get off the planet!
Great Show, (both!), N.A.S.A., 'N, Star_Trek!!
3
Awesome.
You cannot possibly read and understand what Cassini has been doing, and then continue to imagine that we can measure greenhouse gas concentrations in as far away as Saturn's atmosphere but somehow not in our own, as certain climate change deniers claim ...
Let's hope that NASA will survive four years of an anti-science politician at its helmet ... kudos and so much gratefulness go out to the brave and fantastic scientists, engineers etc. working at NASA ... looking forward to discovering your work in the future!
20
What a glorious odyssey. What astonishing images. What a magnificent video. And, well. wow.
7
God speed Cassini.
5
Like the Hubble, Cassini gave us not just data, but photos that make the unimaginable imaginable. And real. The beauty is surreal and real simultaneously.
What a total lack of imagination people must have to deny science.
17
Although the "Make America Great Again" idiots and bigots could never understand, THIS is American greatness.
Thank you NASA / JPL for a great ride.
19
David,
There are certainly inappropriate times to talk about political matters, but my comment is anything but a non sequitor. The Trump administration has just appointed the first-ever NASA head with no scientific background. This climate change denier joins the rest of the proudly ignorant top government officials of our new executive branch.
Would these people ever fund a project like Cassini? You know the answer. If we want more scientific exploration we need to elect people who prefer the Enlightenment to the Dark Ages.
5
Stiil comes across as a non-sequitur because your original note is pure condemnation of entire group(s) much like "basket of deplorables" and serves no beneficial purpose.
Indeed the new head of NASA has prposed need for more space exploration.
Thank you NASA!
11
Please also invest in studying the earth's oceans where funding is ysorely lacking compared to funding for NASA. We must preserve the only planet that we have.
7
The computing power used in the craft versus the smart phone today. The future beckons brightly for exploration and new voyages outremer un galaxie. Well done Team Cassini and Huygens!
4
You knew the end was coming, but it didn't really hit home until you heard on the live stream the loss of the X-band S-band. That's when it really struck home. It was a real moment, too, to see the folks dabbing away their tears. Goodbye Cassini....and thanks for all your hard work.
11
Cassini Probe Dies 7:55 AM, 9/15/17 (by Sylvia Baer
Traveling billions of miles
Through emptiness
Past moons and darkness
Whirling
(A space ballerina alone
Stage center, stage left)
Too close to Saturn, like Icarus,
It had to die—
A fiery, pulverizing end—
No earth-microbes could infect
The unknown.
I too am mortal.
6
Exquisite tribute.
2
Thank you for this dazzling odyssey of human creativity, curiosity and ingenuity. My human mind eagerly absorbs this high level of wonderful advanced, civilized information. Long live and prosper the USA and EU, NASA and ESA, for this civilized advance in knowledge, meaning and understanding
7
I have watched some of the NYT YouTube videos made on Cassini and other forms of missions on space travels and most of them never fail to move me. I feel for those inanimate objects travelling so far and for so long into empty space unknown sending our thoughts and hopes that we are not alone in this universe.
7
Yeah, but we still have President Trump.
3
We need a similar mission to Jupiter, following Galileo's failure because of an undeployed antenna.
1
My particular condolences to Carolyn Porco who supervised the imaging done by the Cassini Mission. I had the pleasure of meeting Ms. Porco and had a short conversation with her about 20 years ago. She is super bright and she loved the mission.
I shed a tear also, Carolyn.
2
What a stunning contrast this beautiful undertaking is compared to so much of our junk culture. These r the behaviors we strive for, that justify our being here. Truly sublime.
6
No words to explain the awe these pictures produce.
2
Looking for job security out of college? Gigs like Cassini are the deal.
1
the math must have been prohibitive
Cassini the Spacecraft joins Bill Cunningham. The sky is powdered (with more) stars.
1
A truly solid use of the billions of dollars spent on engineering training that didn't require blowing anyone or anything up.
7
STUPENDOUS! Congratulations.
1
Cassini may be diminished, but the impact it made for our planet and knowledge of the universe is forever. Scientists are still eager to learn more about the wonders of Saturn, but what Cassini did for us was everything we wanted, and it is heart breaking to see it go. The images it captured were breathtaking, and the discoveries it led to were life changing. Many thanks to the probe that shaped our planet and our new found perceptions regarding the solar system.
4
OUTSTANDING! Once again our best and brightest illuminate our capabilities to achieve incredible scientific and technological feats. From A to Z: design, materials, manufacture, launch and mission, even the precise control of Cassini's demise represents our potential to address some of the most vexing issues facing our current ship that we all occupy. I remain very hopeful. Thank you, Team Cassini!
3
Thanks for the wonderful story, and thanks to all of the scientists involved. They remind us, even in times of despair, that humankind is capable of great good as well as its opposite.
6
Man has a mind to explore, why can't we take care of our beautiful planet and learn more about the larger universe? Why choose one over the other? It isn't for lack of scientific research into our resource limitation and destruction that our earth and food, air, land, water and animal life is being destroyed. It's because of greedy relentless corporations and their bought politicians that we face the earthly disasters of our own making.
My very admiration and thanks for the beauty and understanding the Cassini team provided to mankind. If all humans were as smart and dedicated to knowledge and understanding in their own work and life we would not be in the terrible mess we are making of this jewel of a planet earth.
13
We are made of stars. Our planet. Ourselves.
How does one call on nature and despise the greater nature?
If mankind followed just a philosophy, we would still be in the primeval ooze.
Cassini the Spacecraft, and Cassini the Team --designers, investigators, managers, controllers, programmers, engineers -- brilliantly represent the best that we are as a species; makers of beautiful tools, passionate seekers of truth.
26
Trump has nominated representative Jim Bridenstine to be the new NASA Director. As a member of congress Brindenstine attempted to rewrite the NASA charter to exclude exploration and scientific research as a core part of NASA's mission. Scientific research has been part of NASA, and key to its mission since it was created in 1958. It is under this charter that all planetary missions like New Horizons to Pluto, the Voyager exploration of the outer solar system, all missions to Mars, the Hubble Space Telescope, to name a few, have been conducted. Under Bridenstine's vision we would no longer do things like this. We cannot let Cassini be our swan song, and we cannot let NASA be destroyed by people who cannot dream.
51
Cassini was a brilliantly conceived and executed mission. The images are awe-striking, the scientific information fascinating, exciting, and useful to humanity.
It would be special and terrific, though, if, while they have a spotlight, the Cassini-Huygens Team pointed out that exploration of the solar system ALWAYS proves that the true jewel of our solar system is Earth, where our poor collective stewardship of our only possible home seemingly contradicts the intellect and genius behind Cassini.
17
Congratulations to the JPL/NASA team who made this mission a success--On behalf of all of the employees of the former RCA Astro Electronics Division.
10
Congratulations to the Cassini team on a phenomenally successful mission.
13
To my mind some of the best money ever spent; all of it driven by our curiosity and need to know. We should be doing more of this, and less of all the monkey back-biting squabbling between ourselves don't'cha think?
John~
American Net'Zen
11
Agree 100%
1
A magnificent achievement.
Cassini was destroyed in order to avoid contamination of Titan by Earth borne bacteria. But the Huygens probe had already landed on Titan. I guess the point is to minimize contamination rather than eliminate the possibility?
6
Reportedly, Huygens was moving much faster than Cassini on entry into its target's atmosphere (Titan vs, Saturn). Huygens' heat shield disipated a lot more energy, hopefully providing a final decon pass on entry.
Also, Cassini might have collided with a moon, not just Enceladus, without an atmosphere, which would provide for no such final decon.
But yeah, all we could do was minimize. Considering we didn't expect to find ANY likely life-supporting satellites, we (meaning humans in general) did what we could.
3
and knowing it was going to land precautions were taken with Huygens
The United States will be remembered as the nation which did the most to explore the Solar system.
2
This was an international effort.
1
Kudos to the scientists, engineers, mathematicians, and astrophysicists, for sharing Cassini's selfies over 13 years.
Thank you, JPL ... for the ride of a lifetime.
10
Why was it OK to land Huygens on Titan without fear of contamination but such hand-wringing about Cassini's threat? Are we really that filthy compared to the Europeans?
3
In particular, for all we know, Saturn itself might be a better place for life than any of its moons.
Thank you to all those who worked on this. There may be some young kids today thinking of going into science now.
9
NASA, the same group of amazing scientists, from which James Hanson emerged to sound alarm about the threat of fossil fuel/climate change. I cannot understand how it is possible that we have a federal government led by people cynically resisting this comparatively simple science, potentially leading to incineration of the planetary civilization that launched Cassini. Suggest a Scientists strike, call it Arrhenius Day, when every scientist in America stops working and marches on Washington and stays there until there is a price on carbon emissions. All non-scientist sympathizers, like myself, to don lab coats and march with them to swamp the capital. Every science teacher in every school at every level to refuse to teach anything but climate science until there is a price on carbon. Can others imagine such a project? Isn't it the responsibility of those who smell smoke to clear the building?
19
I'm nobody. I can't lead this, but I can imagine it. The leading authorities in science, the National Science Foundation, Union of Concerned Scientists, National Science Teachers Association, hundreds of other scientific organizations, along with enlightened corporations like Apple and Google and Facebook could decide it is time for drastic measures. It is time to just bring everything to a halt until the barricade of ignorance promoted by disinformation is overwhelmed and dispersed. It is the sine qua non for the continuation of the experiment of Civilization Earth.
1
Bravo Cassini, Bravo NASA, and Bravo NYT for the marvelous feature.
Could USA 2017 accomplish such a glorious feat?
6
Ave, Cassini.
5
I am in wonder and awe at the mission of Cassini illustrated by the photos and video in this article. It has taken me away from the weight of our disappointing present to wondrous and mysterious possibilities, and shown as well what we are capable of.
My thanks as well to all the men and women who made this voyage possible and gave us this chance to participate.
36
There are few more difficult things than to carry out a 20 year mission. The technology, the science, the 1.4 light hours distance, the unexpected, all pose incredible challenges. But often overlooked, the major challenge is an institutional challenge --to keep people working together in harmony without a fatal error, to motivate, to keep the necessary institutional memory, and not least, to win budgetary battles that were never easy wins.
Because of this the joint NASA-European mission is a magnificent achievement to humanity's potential. Our hats off to the amazing individuals that made this one of the most meaningful missions of discovery so far.
44
I was going to try to pen some eloquent tribute to these outstanding people but I couldn't better what you have written here.
Bravo Cassini!
1
Cassini "slipped the bonds of surly earth" and took us all on a far flung journey. Many thanks to all who worked on this flight into the universe.
21
Bravo to all of the women and men who pioneered this exquisite scientific mission to the fascinating world of Saturn. The best of humanity seeking knowledge of our universe...thank you all, and farewell Cassini.
30
Dennis Overbye's video script on the final days of Cassini was pure poetry, fine writing that did justice to the phenomenal images of Saturn. I replayed it again and again. Thank you NYT for such high quality work.
30
Like other's who have commented, I too was privileged to have worked on one of the components that crashed into Saturn today. This was the tri-partite diffraction grating that was a part of the VIMS-IR spectrometer, assembled by JPL. A machine called a 'ruling engine' was used to construct the grating. That machine was built by Albert Michelson and his colleagues and students at the University of Chicago in about 1910. Hundreds of other people, many long gone, have contributed directly or indirectly to the possibility and actuality of this single optical component. It boggles the mind.
27
A good boggling of the mind.
1
I've been thinking about this. Several commenters say they grieve for Cassini. I do too. But it's just a concatenation of metals, wires, sensors, and motors. So "grieve?"
But consider. The ship your great grandmother took from Cork to Ellis Island was just a concatenation of metals, wires, sensors, and motors. But when it reached the end of its useful life, after transporting thousands of people to new world, it would be melancholy indeed to see it scuttled. Because it also carried the hopes and dreams of a people who were forever changed by the voyage.
29
We imbue objects with our hopes and dreams, and a little of our souls, especially those that take us on journeys whether in person or remotely so it doesn't surprise me that we have feelings for our cars, planes, boats, and ships, and space craft manned, or not. When you tell the story about the "concatenation of metals, wires, sensors, and motors" it becomes personal. The stories of the intrepid little rovers on Mars, Spirit and Opportunity, are enough to bring tears to your eyes. After all there are people behind all of them. The machines are an extension of those people and in part us. It is grieving for our loss as much as the ship.
14
I get the sentiment, but this mission means more than our 2000 year old recorded history.
It's our innate human drive to o pursuit more.
3
I'm proud to say I worked on a few electronic bits for Cassini in the late 1980's as a newly-minted engineer working for a small company in Massachusetts. My contribution represents maybe 0.001% of the mission, yet seeing the beauty and wonder of the images, videos, and stories from this multi-decadal mission I feel tremendously honored to be a part of its history.
Seeing the image of Earth as a tiny dot through the rings of Saturn, for me, was one of the most moving moments: Yes, I feel very small--but it's a good small. Makes one wonder why we spend so much time, energy, money, and human capital feeding peoples' egos. I guess those people haven't seen the images yet.
48
They wouldn't recognize the beauty of what they were seeing when they did see the images.
So inspiring. But it got me thinking. Do Republicans who don't believe in evolution or climate change, who believe the lunar landing was a phony conspiracy. do they believe this mission happened? Do they believe even that Saturn exists or do they think of it as fake news? After all if there is a possibility that life exists on Enceladus, does that diminish our standing in god's eyes? Also I wonder how many of them, since a US flag is planted there, believe that the US owns the moon? These are actually serious questions because the war on science is serious.
18
Don't forget - there was a previous "War on Science" in the recorded past. (The Dark Ages) I don't know the outcome of this one, but in the past, knowledge & learning prevailed.
5
It was in the Year of Our Lord 1994 the the Vatican officially admitted that Galileo was right. We don't have 300 years reaction time for climate science.
It seems to me that the only place where peace truly exists in outer space. We humans have made a mess on earth. Thanks people.
9
This is from a country where we hear year after year how bad the USA is teaching science or performance of students. Although Cassini was launched a long time ago there are plenty of young minds that kept it flying. I look for more magnificent feats after Trump and his science ignorant staff are gone.
34
except that this project was not a United States only project. This was a collaboration with NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. Seventeen countries provided parts and construction of both probes.
6
I think it was an international effort.
3
THIS project--THESE people--are the "Real America."
(And WHY is this story so far below the mobile web-site fold???)
35
Had the same thought.
Yes, Cassini's images were indeed awe-inspiring, and I loved this website's recent photojournalism piece on the topic, but why has the NYT had nothing to say about the ethics, and possible effects, of seeding another planet's atmosphere with 72.3 pounds of highly toxic plutonium-238?
4
The effects are nil.
Learn some physics.
1
238Pu has a half life of 87.7 years, so it will all be gone in the blink of a cosmic eye. It has been diluted 1/10000000000000000000000000 (that is 25 zeros). The average human has 300 fmol of 239Pu, which is one billionth of a gram. A piece of Saturn the same mass now has much less than a billion billion times less radioactive Pu than in your body. Sadly, our bodies are still collecting radioactive Pu from North Korea, etc, but Saturn will lose half of its dose every 88 years. In contrast, when Cassini soon lost control, it would eventually crash, possibly into a moon. There, the debris would contaminate the surface of the moon with permanent metals, organisms, etc. at more than a billion billion fold higher concentration than in Saturn. The organisms might replicate. The current uncontaminated state might be lost for ever. The decision to eliminate this small risk of crashing on a moon and sacrifice months of additional data collection was extremely noble. Our finest hour.
6
I understand that just as the Cassini was hurtling toward the surface of Saturn, a black monolith appeared on board the craft. Very odd.
(cue Richard Strauss)
5
"Saturn and Beyond the Infinite."
It's wonderful to see the true beauty of our universe. Congratulations to all involved with this endeavour. How fitting for such a craft to end in what looks like a shooting star.
17
Sure hope the new NASA administrator has the vision to support more missions like this. I have my doubts.....
9
Goodbye Cassini and thank you in the name of science and further learning about our glorious universe. Your guardians chose cremation for your 'death' and you are mourned as humans form an affectionate attachment to their creations and prove this by naming them one and all. This includes cars as well as space capsules.
9
Thank you for this informative article! Yesterday I was wondering if the time sited for the end of Cassini was the approximate time Cassini would no longer be able to communicate with Earth (disintegrate), or the time that Earth would stop receiving a signal from Cassini. I am pretty sure the one way communication delay is about 83 minutes. In this article, I think the author is saying the delay is about 24 minutes, which I don't think is correct. But from the information in this article, I am feeling that Cassini died at 7:31 a.m. EDT and we stopped receiving its signal at 8:55 a.m. EDT.
3
I believe we received the last signal at 7:35 and it was sent earlier. I was listening live on NASA TV.
What an amazing institution NASA is. A gift to the US to us all.
22
A beautiful story for all humankind. Now if we could only harness the same creativity and intelligence to feed, house, and care for the children of the world, we could celebrate our greatest achievement.
5
WHY?! Why do the humans who operated the Cassini exploration so cautiously protect the remote possibility of contaminating current or future microbial life on Saturn's moons---by incinerating the project, even though Cassini could have lasted years more?
Does it not seem the epitome of irony (and Stupidity!) that we are doing the exact opposite here on this very real Garden of diversity and Life right here on Earth!? In the last hundred years we have started a massive extinction of known and unknown species and shredded the very fabric of this complex web of ecosystems upon which they and we depend.
Let us rally together using ALL of our brain power, foresight, and wisdom---to make a fight that will dwarf all the military battles of all time to SAVE THIS EARTH! This project can bind all nations and people in a common positive purpose that will save us and all the millions and millions of other life forms. Let us each begin today, as if all future life depends upon us---it does.
What can be more satisfying to you and to us all, than shifting the focus from wealth acquisition and consumption to preserving this magical garden, growing on the thin skin of this magical 'space probe?'
11
I remember when the project was okayed there were objections to even launching because it could have exploded is Earth's atmosphere and spread the Plutonium.
6
Cassini was running out of fuel to maneuver with. Once the fuel was out, there would be no way to control the flight of Cassini. Because of the chance of life on some of Saturn's moons, they decided to avoid the possibility of contamination on those moons if Cassini had crashed into them. That is why they decided to crash Cassini into Saturn.
A great example of what international cooperation in space exploration can achieve. This mission is also a great example of how humanity - going back centuries to Cassini and Huygens and the astronomers before them, continues to steadily peel back the onion of mystery that is our universe. Cassini may be gone, but its inspiration lives on in the minds of millions who have seen what it observed.
10
What an amazing institution NASA is. A gift from the U.S. to the world.
11
I respectfully concur! Thank you, NASA, for this mission - and the great pictures.
10
I keep reading about how cassini was destroyed to keep Titan pristine. Was there zero probability that Huygens carried contamination?? The NASA message-crafters need to think a little harder.
3
Different levels of quarantine protection were applied to the lander and the orbiter. The orbiter would have burned up/been sterilized by entry into Titan's atmosphere, not the case for Enceladus where prospects for life detection are greater hence need to keep confusing microbes away.
2
Vale, Cassini! A good time for humans not to hold back an emotional tear.
3
"To me, Cassini is really one of those quintessential missions from NASA,” said Thomas H. Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science. “It hasn’t just changed what we know about Saturn, but how we think about the world.”
With all of the information and photographs gathered during Cassini's 20 year trek, I hope various schools throughout the U.S. and the world, will showcase and discuss this epic adventure. When I was in school, Neil Armstrong's walk on the moon was the greatest feat witnessed. There is so much to learn and appreciate from this mission. With the plethora of photographs taken, I am looking forward to a book to be published which will include many of the breathtaking pictures the New York Times has shared with the world.
Great job to all at NASA who were involved in this mission. You folks continue to rock and inspire so many!!
15
The best part of living in my home state is the magic of being able to explore by yourself.
I learned to sail from a book--both techniques and reading all of Wm F Buckley’s great sagas of his circumnavigating the world.
I bought a derelict 25’ Cal sailboat and renovated from scratch...replacing every line, halyard, and winch.I sewed my own sails in the great sail lofts that had been used to make sails for the America Cup’s boats.
I set off and sailed into the deep blue waters of the Pacific. As I became better at my craft, I took on as captain for folks with 45’ sailboats who didn’t know how to sail them. They had money, so they bought these magnificent sailboats...to anchor out and live aboard. I showed them the true beauty of that boat by showing them how to sail out further and further until we could no longer see land. That’s quite a shock. I have to get home using dead reckoning (charts and my ship’s compass) or with a sextant that Lucky Jack Aubrey used.
But the REAL beauty of sailing is that once you get away from the land and its plethora of artificial light, you see the Milky Way. You see the tens of thousands of stars spread out over the Northern Hemisphere sky. 3 months of the year February to May you get to see the Southern Cross. Seeing that cross hanging in the Southern sky is breathtaking as Stephen Stills sings:
"When you see the Southern Cross for the first time
You understand now why you came this way”
Go discover yourself--we ARE star-stuff.
5
This is the stuff that dreams are made of! Congratulations to all who worked on the project. I can't wait for the encore!
It's hard to imagine that before Voyager most thought the moons of the outer planets were like our own, cold,dead and relatively boring. We've learned an amazing amount over the last 60 years. I hope we have the will to continue the Journey.
10
Farewell, Cassini, and we thank you.
6
Why mourn? Consider why Cassini had to crash: Its mission uncovered enough signs associated with life that its builders did not want even the remote chance to contaminate the environment.
On so many levels that is something to celebrate.
6
I had forgotten until this past week, as Cassini returned to the headlines, that I had participated in the "Send your name to Saturn" program NASA promoted a year or so before launch - 1995 or '96. This was where you put your name on a postcard (no online option at the time) and they would scan it to include on a CD affixed to the side of the spacecraft. I managed to get several friends and my mom to do their own as well. From what I gathered, they wound up putting about half a million names onto the disc, with many of them being school students at the time, too.
Boggled my mind at the time that this would wind up orbiting Saturn, but now it's even more so, now that it's literally become part of the planet.
Anyone else think they may be on there?
5
Thank you for that reminder, I did that too and had forgotten.
1
Thanks you for this coverage!
The NYT's front (web)page piece yesterday on this mission was one of the best things I've ever seen on the internet.
7
It is uplifting to know that there are brilliant men and women of science that are doing great work for the benefit of all on this planet. Well done!!
8
I often wonder if we will expand the definition of what life is, or what it could be, beyond our planet. Perhaps not everything is carbon based or needing oxygen to breathe.
8
I grieve that little Cassini, which has been part of our solar system and which has provided so much information and so many beautiful images, is no more. The philosophical and poetic musings about its imminent, and now very real, demise brought science writing to a whole other level. I'll never think of the night sky in the same way again. Thank you to the men and women of NASA who brought us Cassini and to the writers who told us its story.
15
An awesome conception and execution that should make everyone proud, humbled, and hopeful. We can achieve so much if we use our talented scientists and engineers and writers and teachers and really everyone who can look past the short term and turn to the bigger picture, the longer term, the future.
14
What a wonderful project! I tip my hat to all those who gave over 20 years of their lives to Cassini. Their dedication has reaped rewards that will take many more years to uncover.
If you liked this outcome, think about this. The technology inside Cassini was nothing like what we have today. Hardware and software are orders of magnitude greater. Our imaging technology and sensors are much better. Just imagine what a state of the art Cassini could accomplish with all the latest hardware and instrumentation.
We must forge ahead and build these spacecraft. Don't stop now. No excuses. No political ideology should get it the way. Fully fund NASA. Fully fund space exploration. Cassini has just scratched the surface and created more questions than it answered. Let's answer them.
20
Agree with all of the positive sentiment written here. One wish I had, though, was that the craft or a separate probe would have crept up truly close (a few hundred meters or less) to the rings to snap some photos. Even with the glorious shots of the rings provided here, I still don't know exactly what these rings look like up close. I realize there are descriptions and artist renderings out there, but not real shots of them. Next time!
6
I stand in awe of everything these talented engineers and scientists have done. My entire family has been educated around the possibilities of the universe and how we can look to the sky and know that the universe is endless despite how humans continue to destroy the earth. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for letting all of us share in the joys and this goodbye.
76
What a really nice and beautiful comment! Thank YOU for posting your thoughts.
3
I can still remember the controversy that surrounded Cassini's launch. There was a great fear about the Plutonium being used to power the satellite and the possibility of the rocket blowing up during launch, spreading plutonium through the atmosphere.
Fortunately, all turned out well. I hate to think what might have happened if there had been a catastrophic failure to launch. It might have set back space exploration by 50 years.
5
No, the RTG container was designed to keep the fuel encapsulated at all stages of the ascent or in an on-pad explosion. There's considerable nuclear waste dumped into the deep ocean (including sunken nuclear submarines) that is not going anywhere except into a subduction zone a long time from now. The Cassini RTG would have gone there too, and would have been found only in shallow water by its heat not by its insignificant radioactivity release.
1
I've been a lover of space adventure since I was old enough to see the stars.
This is a melancholy moment, but I'm tickled by the thought that somewhere on or beneath the the surface of Saturn is a guy looking up and saying:
"See, I told you They're here! All is Lost! All is Lost!"
9
Thank you for that headline — "Celebrating and Mourning….” I refuse to feel foolish for discovering that I have tears to shed and a desire to honor an ingenious assemblage of instruments for being both ‘brave’ and ‘faithful unto death’. Cassini was a worthy embodiment of our aspirations to push the extreme boundaries of what it is possible for us to know. What could be more human than that, except the certainty that every life must finally face its end.
And so we are left with gratitude for Cassini’s priceless legacy of still-to-be-explored knowledge, and the inevitable poignancy of our shared celebration and mourning of the successful completion of its mission. Rest in peace, far-traveler, and well done.
30
I tuned into NASA TV this morning to somehow participate in the end of Cassini. Cassini's journey was inspiring and the discoveries are astonishing and humbling. Thank you to the scientists and engineers who imagined Cassini and made it happen. I have to admit that I've anthropomorphized Cassini. I've thought about her all alone out there and felt very sorry for her as she turned and descended to her death. It's a sad moment.
14
Hail Cassini! -- and all the brilliant scientists and technicians whose years of dedication and hard work have made it possible to see the fantastic images we're seeing today.
You are the true patriots.
Thank you.
43
" ... all the brilliant scientists and technicians ..."
And engineers.
14
@GS
Hardly an omission, as engineers are actually technicians...
And all are worthy of thanks.
1
Thanks to the incredible team at NASA managing the Cassini and opening our eyes to this ringed wonder in our solar system.
Thanks to Mr. Chang and the always wonderful narration by Mr. Overbye for the article and video. You guys are so adept at blending the art and science, it is indeed a treat to watch.
I just hope we continue to explore and wonder and take risks to go out far beyond our comfort zones, for as someone said: The biggest risk is not taking one.
30
Bravo to all those who choreographed Cassini's incredible mission and a heartfelt thank you to the NY Times for putting together this compelling video.
23
Cassini was a very successful workhorse that performed spectacularly and provided a treasure-trove of scientific information about Saturn, its rings and its many moons, along with extraordinary & spectacular photos, even with its "out-dated" equipment and computers from decades ago.
Congratulations to everyone associated with the Cassini project at the JPL and European Space Agency. Something to be very proud of, although I'm sure many are rightfully mourning its loss like the death of a beloved and well-lived family member.
21
What a bittersweet moment. Thank you to all the men and women who began by imagining Cassini and its mission and then carried it out with such dedication and enthusiasm. The pictures are truly breathtaking and inspire humility and wonder in the Universe.
Many will say that money could be better spent. I could not disagree more. I hope more exploration spacecraft are being planned. The knowledge gained by such missions will be deciphered and studied and will change our knowledge about earth. Science at its best. Its value should be supported.
42
I am in tears after reading this article and watching the gorgeous video. It is an awe-inspiring human accomplishment to have had this spacecraft exploring the solar system for nearly twenty years. I am beyond grateful for the work of the Cassini scientists and engineers, I am beyond grateful that this was actually funded and I fervently wish this country would focus more of it's resources on this kind of positive endeavor.
I also can't believe that some Americans, including supposedly educated politicians, can't recognize and respect the accomplishments of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians.
Here it is: one example of a great achievement for mankind, that could never happen without science.
105
Congratulations to all the Cassini-Huygens team. What an awe-inspiring journey you have taken us on. Thank you for your dedication and passion. You have given us priceless images, science, and a model for what can be done when people from many countries work together with a common goal.
15
Cassini has shown us the gleaming rings of Saturn, and the icy plumes of a bright little moon that might just harbor life.
The spacecraft has also shown us how beautiful we can be.
How ingenious,
how capable,
how full of wonder.
67
Why no information on the kinds of shirts the scientists were wearing? We have no way of knowing if this is a triumph or catastrophe.
4
Simply sublime and stupendous!
23
What a human triumph. What a gift to the world from these brilliant men and women. The world should take pause and note the massive contribution of this country (and its European partners) to the advancement of knowledge on behalf of the entire human race.
25
From stardust we came, unto stardust we shall return. In between, we get to witness the majestic baffling universe. Well done Cassini!
57
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth,
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, --and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of --Wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air...
Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark or even eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.
-"High Flight", John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
38
One of the most beautiful poems ever, written by a young pilot who later perished during a WW II mission.
We may be a mess, here on Earth, but we have shown our best side with the ending of Cassini's journey to protect possible life out there from contamination.
21
Cassini was truly persistent. It survived an upwelling of American anti-intellectualism, and it survived a lawsuit arising from fear of launching plutonium-238 in the spacecraft's power supply.
13
Remarkable that the talking apes that we call human beings can conceive, plan and execute so complex and visionary a mission as this cannot seem to get together to resolve more mundane challenges here on earth. This should inspire the rest of us to try harder and do better.
Thanks, Cassini team, for your brilliant example of what talking apes can accomplish when they try.
19
In what is often a quite hideous, cruel, violent, evil and depressing world, Cassini and other NASA missions remind us of just what can be accomplished through dreams of the human mind and the work of human hands.
51
Cassini is the kind of endeavor to which humankind should aspire. Make space probes, not war!
24
Imagine what NASA and the ESA could do with militaryesque budgets? The possibilities are endless
6
Yes, it's still the case, "That space, the final frontier" is true. We need the new Columbuses and Magellans to set sail into the cosmos not only to lift our spirits with them, but to expand our awareness from the small blue dot we are desperately (except for you know who) trying to save into a new Whitmanesques cosmic consciousness where we are part of the infinite and the eternal. Thank you Cassini; let the voyages continue.
86
The full suite of photos from Cassini are truly extraordinary. Worth checking them out.
13
Requiescat in pacem, Cassini, and thank you for your service. We have learned so much during this remarkable voyage!
26
The photographs (and the scientific data) are truly amazing. I still remember the excitement of seeing the first pictures of Saturn from the Voyager mission. What a remarkable journey the last decades have been!
20
The length and breadth and distance covered by this august international team is astounding. Science and the arts will transcend other more earthly concerns as we revel in far away beauty. Thank you, Cassini team, for your incredible imaginings. I look forward to future collaborations and continued opportunities for space explorers.
27
An amazing accomplishment for humanity. Thank you to all the men and women who designed, built and managed this incredible mission
118
Truly, these are some of the most amazing photographs that I have ever seen!
27
A new law of physics: The majesty of a moment can only be exceeded by the majesty of the prose written to describe that moment.
Kenneth Chang: this was beautiful.
53
I have a question:
If Cassini had to be destroyed due to possible microbial contamination, how is it that we could send the Huygens probe to a soft landing upon Titan without the same consequences?
Something doesn't add up in the logic here.
Anyone?
Jeff
Two different designs, one was designed to land, the other was an orbiter. Two different craft. It wasn't until the end of life for Cassini that they discovered they had to worry about possible contamination. There was evidence that two of saturn's moons might be capable of life and they wanted to avoid Cassini crashing into them.
That is why the decision to crash Cassini into Saturn.
Yes, but they were both from Earth. Many descriptions of Cassini mission state that there is no way to "gaurantee" that there is not microbial contamination from Earth on anything we send into space. Therefore. why the concern about Cassini and not on the Huygens lander?
The rationale for crashing Cassini into Saturn is summarized as follows: "Any spacecraft, even one launched two decades ago, has unwanted microbial hitchhikers aboard. In particular, planetary scientists wanted to ensure that there was zero chance of the spacecraft crashing into Enceladus or Saturn's largest moon, Titan, which could also be hospitable for life." But the Huygens probe has already landed on Titan; why would Cassini pose an increased risk?
11
On reflection as we learn from our mistakes, the decision was not to possibly spread more contamination.
The US contingent learned from the European half of the exploration.
2
My guess is that there is no way to know whether Huygens contaminated Titan, so the most conservative approach would be to assume it was still pristine and scuttle Cassini in Saturn's atmosphere.
1
....and of course, even if Titan is now contaminated, we at least avoid contaminating Enceladus or any other Saturnian moon.
Great article, monumental achievement.
On the one hand very heartening that we can marvel at NASA's truly stellar accomplishments, but very disheartening we fail so miserably to harness the talents and resources to manage our increasingly critical national concerns.
40
Agreed. Our problem in the US with harnessing talent and resources is that we first have to harness the will. But we cannot even agree what our problems are, or in some cases, that we have a problem in the first place. We don't lack technology and know-how, we lack a powerful connection to reality. The disconnect between what we are cabable of doing collectively, and what we collectively manage to do, is disheartening to say the least.
Congratulatons to NASA and JPL for a magnificent mission - on the 40 year anniversay of the Voyagers, no less. They continue to inspire with multiple examples of how to do stuff right. If only we could learn the lessons of those examples and apply them more broadly. If only.
30
Well, I hope you know that a number of the people working for NASA and Pasadena JPL were educated in other countries. I am also educated outside the the US, though I worked in the US for 40 years. You may also want to be aware of the fact that some of NASAs mathematicians were black women, no less.
1