Saturn has rings that are fascinating to many people. Of all the planets in the solar system that has rings, Saturn's rings are the most visible and easily the most famous of them all. People would soon see a close-up view of those rings, as Cassini is preparing to fly near Saturn's rings as its mission nears its end.
Saturn and its rings have been studied much, though this would be the first time that a spacecraft would actually be flying near the rings. It would be an exciting phase in Cassini's mission as NASA's engineers have been preparing for it. On November 30 Cassini would be starting its journey towards Saturn's rings, using the gravitational pull of Titan to propel it towards its goal.
This final phase of Cassini's mission will last from the end of November until April next year. A total of 20 approaches would be made towards the outer edges of Saturn's rings. The mission is called the ring-grazing orbits, according to Linda Spilker, the project scientist for the Cassini mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Two instruments aboard Cassini would take samples of the particles and gases found in Saturn's rings. The spacecraft would be flying towards the outermost F ring of Saturn's rings, according to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's site. The F ring is a thin band of ring between the A and G rings.
Along with taking samples from the F ring, Cassini would be able to observe some of Saturn's moons. These are Atlas, Pan, Daphnis and Pandora. High-resolution images of the rings would also be taken during the final mission of Cassini.
While Cassini might fly very close to the F ring, Cassini project manager Earl Maize said that it would still be 7,200 kilometers from it. This is to avoid too much dust that the rings have at a closer range. Aside from the F ring, the other rings around it such as the A and B rings would also be studied, as Phys Org reports. Aspects of A ring is of interest as there could possibly moonlets in it.
There is still much in store for Cassini before its mission ends on September 15 next year, when the spacecraft plunges into Saturn. Before then, Cassini is preparing to fly near Saturn's rings as mission nears its end. Of interest also is what Saturn's rings are made of, as an earlier study has found out.
