The Cassini spacecraft began a descent into the atmosphere of Saturn
As expected, in the coming weeks on the station will be actively used mass spectrometer, ions and neutral particles more information about the planet’s atmosphere.
WASHINGTON, August 16. /Offset. TASS Dmitry Kirsanov/. Automatic interplanetary station Cassini started the final descent into the atmosphere of Saturn, on an orbit which it operates since July 2004. This was reported on Tuesday to the correspondent of TASS in the jet propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena (California), part of the National management of the USA on Aeronautics and space research (NASA).
The last five turns
It is planned that within a month the Cassini spacecraft will make the last five orbits around Saturn, turning each time into a lower orbit. It is expected that on 15 September the engines of this spacecraft will not be able to maintain its orientation in space so that the antenna is pointing to Earth, the relationship with him will be lost and it will fall apart and burn up in the atmosphere of the second largest planet in the Solar system. The final push down the station will do with a special maneuver that uses the gravity of the largest moon of Saturn — Titanium. At this time Cassini, as conceived by NASA, will operate seven of the 12 scientific instruments that will be transferred to the mission control center information virtually in real time.
This movement of the spiral closer to the surface of Saturn, Cassini began on Monday, having made the first transition to a lower orbit.
The first of the five final dives in the atmosphere of Saturn have been successful.Jet propulsion laboratory
However, the representative of the research centre, declined to specify how exactly passed this maneuver, and to provide any details. “Sorry, we’re not announce the results of this “dip”, — said the employee of JPL.