Saturn Craft Approaches Ringed Planet After 7 Years in Space

Bloomberg ^ | 6/3/2004 | Alex Morales

[Dog]

We have a freeper who worked on this project....the engines I believe.

Hey Thirds.....take a bow buddy!

[bmwcyle]

[alnitak]

NASA has a 67 page PDF press pack with some good info:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/press-kits/cassini-arrival.pdf

[longshadow]

ringed ping

[Pyro7480]

Thanks! I learned something new about Saturn in the process. The "gap" the Cassini probe is going through is expansive, since the G-ring is so far out comparatively-speaking to the rest.

[Pyro7480]

See posts #23 and 25.

[PatrickHenry]

Science list ping (a subset of the evolution list). FReepmail me to be added or dropped.

[oldcomputerguy]

Cassini will approach the planet from the south

From the south?? Where is south in outer space???

[Pyro7480]

I guess that means towards Saturn's southern hemisphere.

[VadeRetro]

Most of the planets have spin alignments something crudely like Earth's. Also, most planets orbit the Sun in nearly the same plane. Thus, you can assign North and South poles comparable to the poles of Earth. One of the outer guys is lying over spinning practically on its side. I'm not sure how "North" and "South" were arrived at in that case.

[Ahban]

Thanks...placemarker to come back for your goodies.

[r9etb]

I'm not sure how "North" and "South" were arrived at in that case.

"North" is defined using the good old "right hand rule." If you curl the fingers of your right hand in the direction of the rotation of the body, your right thumb will be pointing along the angular momentum vector, and thus, by definition, "north." Try it.

[RightWhale]

North, south, east, and west are a little different on the planets than on earth. The tradition possibly got started with the use of telescope that inverted the image, but the west side of the moon, for example is the same direction as the west on earth. While north and south are aligned with earth's north and south, east and west got reversed on the planets if you should one day be standing on planets. We have a very earth-centered view of the solar system that ought to be confusing to astronauts for the rest of time.

[DoctorMichael]

Can't wait!

Saturn Bump.

[pghkevin]

7-year bump

[Brett66]

Looking forward to this. BTTT

[VadeRetro]

... the good old "right hand rule."

Ouch! Should have known.

[martin_fierro]

Absolutely, positively try out that Celestia software. MINDBLOWING! <|:)~

[qam1]

4 p.m. London time on July 1,

Saturn is in Gemeni right now so wouldn't that mean on/by July 1st it's going to be behind the sun? So how are they going to get a transmittion?

[qam1]

Gemeni Gemini