Cassini

Summary of Article Cassini, which lifted off on October 15, 1997, is NASA's mission to study Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft is about two stories tall, weighs more than 12,000 pounds, and was launched by a Titan IV/Centaur rocket. The spacecraft is due to arrive at Saturn in June 2004, when it will embark on a four-year mission to investigate Saturn, its atmosphere, its magnetic field, Titan, and several of the planet's small, icy moons. To achieve this, Cassini carries 18 instruments, six of them on the Huygens Titan probe. This probe will explore Titan's surface in an effort to discover whether or not lakes exist on Saturn's largest moon. Back to top Suggested Age/Grade Levels Age Level: 15 - 18 Grade Level: 9th grade - 12th grade Related Topics History Discuss the discoverer of Saturn and its moons. Mythology Mythological names have been given to some of Saturn's moons. Discuss the meanings behind the names. Physics Discuss the theories (physics) behind gravity-assist flybys. Space Science Discuss our solar system, including Saturn. Back to top Objectives After studying the article, students should be able to: Explain why the probe was named Cassini. List at least four of Saturn's two dozen moons. List the four scientific goals of the Cassini mission. Name the three planets the space probe will fly by and why this is necessary. Name the probe that will be dropped on Titan and what it will study. Back to top Classroom Activities Creating a Robot for Space Exploration The following classroom activity is part of NASA's Cassini education site. Your class can make its own spacecraft for exploration. Materials *6-8 yogurt and egg cartons *10 ft. of thin wire or string *10 film canisters construction paper aluminum foil *6-8 tin or metal cans scotch tape crayons, markers, or colored pencils *amounts will vary according to class size Arrange students in groups of four or less. Instruct groups to design, diagram, and construct a model of a robotic spacecraft (from the above list of materials) that will explore a planet. Students should provide a chart to go along with the labeled diagram that lists components and their functions. The model robot should have all the components needed to fulfill critical functions. Essential components and functions should include bus framework, rocket motors for propulsion, antennas for communication, a computer for processing data, and an instrument (like a camera) to make images or to analyze dust. Let their imaginations go to work! Have student groups present their robotic spacecraft models to the class. Each member of the group should be responsible for explaining the functions of different components. Students should tell what they hope to explore with their robot and what questions it will answer for scientists. For more lesson plans and suggested activities, please visit NASA's Cassini homepage, which has an entire section on Saturn and the Cassini spacecraft dedicated to educators (includes teacher's guides). http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/MoreInfo/teaguide.html *You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer to download the information. Click here to download Acrobat. Back to top Questions for Discussion Q: Why is Cassini taking the long way to Saturn? A: Cassini is taking the long way to Saturn so it can use the gravitational pull from three different planets (a sort of slingshot effect). Cassini will fly past Venus twice. It will then fly past Earth and Jupiter, finally gaining enough speed to make it to Saturn. Q: How will the spacecraft be powered once it reaches Saturn? A: Once the Cassini spacecraft reaches Saturn, its two main engines will be used to make orbital changes. In addition, there are 16 smaller engines, called thrusters, that will control Cassini's orientation in space. Q: What is the name of the probe Cassini will release and what is it going to study? A: Named after Dutch mathematician and astronomer Christian Huygens, the Huygens probe will take images and data from Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Scientists hope to discover whether or not lakes cover the moon. Titan has an Earth-like, nitrogen-based atmosphere and a surface many believe features lakes of ethane and methane. Q: What are the names of some of Saturn's other moons the Cassini probe will study? A: The four other moons of Saturn the Cassini probe will study are Rhea, Mimas, Enceladus, and Dione. Scientists expect to learn more about their composition and internal structures, their surfaces and the processes that shaped them, and their origins and evolution. Back to top Quiz Click here for a Cassini quiz. *Please use your browser's back button to return to the Cassini teacher's guide. Back to top Just the Facts Saturn is our solar system's second-largest planet (Jupiter is the largest). It is comprised mostly of hydrogen and helium. The Cassini space probe is named after astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini. He is credited with the discovery of four of Saturn's two dozen moons. Cassini will use the gravitational pull of three other planets to make it to Saturn. The probe will fly past Venus twice, Earth once, and then Jupiter before heading to Saturn. It will take seven years for Cassini to reach Saturn from Earth. The Cassini mission's scientific goals are to investigate Saturn, its atmosphere, its magnetic field, Titan, and several of the planet's small, icy moons. Cassini carries 18 instruments, six of them on the Huygens Titan probe. The Huygens probe will be released from Cassini to study Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Back to top Links to Relevant Web Sites and Additional Resources http://observe.ivv.nasa.gov/nasa/space/Cassini/Cassini10.html *Page will open in a new window. Back to top Vocabulary Cassini: astronomer Jean-Dominique Cassini (1625-1712) is credited with discovering four of Saturn's two dozen moons. The spacecraft bearing his name was launched on October 15, 1997. Scheduled to reach Saturn in June 2004, the spacecraft will spend four years gathering data about Saturn and its moons. Saturn: our solar system's second-largest planet (Jupiter is the largest); the sixth planet from the Sun; comprised mostly of hydrogen and helium. Titan: Saturn's largest moon. gravity-assist flyby: use of the gravitational pull of a planet to increase the speed of a spacecraft. radioisotope thermoelectric generators: (RTG) generators that use the heat from decaying plutonium to generate electrical power when distance from the Sun renders solar energy too weak. Back to top For Fun Just for fun, play our Cassini Wordsearch game. *Please use your browser's back button to return to the Cassini teacher's guide. Back to top Back to Index of Articles