Cassini to Venus
Explanation:
Saturn
Orbiter Cassini with
Titan
Probe Huygens attached
rocketed into early morning
skies on October 15, 1997.
The mighty Titan 4B Centaur rocket
is
seen here across the water, arcing away
from Launch Complex 40 at
Cape Canaveral Air Station.
Cassini, a sophisticated
robot
spacecraft was actually headed toward
inner planet
Venus,
the first way point in its 7 year, 2.2 billion mile
interplanetary journey to Saturn.
In fact, Cassini
swung by Venus during
April 1998 and June 1999,
Earth
in August 1999, and
Jupiter
in December 2000.
During each of these
"gravity assist" encounters the six ton
spacecraft picked up speed,
reaching Saturn only three days ago.
Cassini is now orbiting the ringed gas giant, with
the Huygens Probe scheduled to separate from the spacecraft
in December.
The probe's
descent to the surface of
Saturn's large moon
Titan
will be the most distant
landing ever attempted.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
