Skip Navigation

Resources

Instruments On During Cassini's Final Plunge

Cassini instruments
Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Published: August 28, 2017

Eight of Cassini's science instruments are planned to be turned on during the final plunge, including the Ion and neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS).

ENLARGE

Related

This illustration taken from the Cassini Grand Finale movie shows Cassini's fly-through of the Enceladus plume in October 2015.
More
Illustration showing tiny spacecraft in Enceladus plume.
Cassini at Enceladus (Illustration)
Bright clumps of ring material and a fan-like structure appear near the core of Saturn's tenuous F ring in this mosaic of images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. Such features suggest the existence ...
More
Bright clumps of ring material and a fan-like structure appear near the core of Saturn's tenuous F ring in this mosaic of images from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
F Ring's Bright Core Clumps
This graphic represents a possible model for mechanisms that could generate the water vapor and tiny ice particles detected by Cassini over the southern polar terrain on Enceladus. This model shows...
More
This graphic represents a possible model for mechanisms that could generate the water vapor and tiny ice particles detected by Cassini over the southern polar terrain on Enceladus.
Modeling 'Warm' Ice on Enceladus
This artist's concept shows the approximate relative sizes of the terrestrial planets of the inner solar system. Correct distances are not shown.
More
Line up showing four rocky planets in a row.
Terrestrial Planet Sizes
Happy Holidays from the Planetary Science Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
More
Illustration of holiday lights and spacecraft in snowglobes.
Happy Holidays 2016 - Solar System Edition
This artist's rendering shows a regional cross-section of the ice shell underlying Enceladus' south polar terrain, illustrating our current knowledge of the physical and thermal structure and proce...
More
This artist's rendering shows a regional cross-section of the ice shell underlying Enceladus' south polar terrain
What Lies Beneath: Regional View
This artist's rendering shows a cross-section of the ice shell immediately beneath one of Enceladus' geyser-active fractures, illustrating the physical and thermal structure and the processes ongoi...
More
This artist's rendering shows a cross-section of the ice shell beneath one of Enceladus' geyser-active fractures
What Lies Beneath: Close Up View
Ultraviolet and infrared images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft and Hubble Space Telescope show active and quiet auroras at Saturn's north and south poles. Saturn's auroras glow when energetic el...
More
Auroras on Saturn
Dance of Saturn's auroras
A new slide show highlights the Cassini spacecraft's third year at the ringed world. + Slide show
More
Screen grab of first page of slideshow
Rings Around Saturn
These illustrations indicate possible ways in which the water vapor and ice particles in the plume of Enceladus may be formed. The Cassini spacecraft recently found a small fraction of salt-rich ic...
More
These illustrations indicate possible ways in which the water vapor and ice particles in the plume of Enceladus may be formed.
Plume Vent Models
Artist's concept of Cassini orbiter diving between Saturn's inntermost rings and cloud tops.
More
Illustration of spacecraft at Saturn.
Deep Dive: Cassini Grand Finale (Artist's Concept)
This artist's rendering shows a cross-section of the surface and subsurface of Saturn's moon Titan, with a possible model for the structure of underground liquid reservoirs there.
More
This artist's rendering shows a cross-section of the surface and subsurface of Saturn's moon Titan, with a possible model for the structure of underground liquid reservoirs there.
Titan's Subsurface Reservoirs -- Annotated
Jets of high-density gas detected by Cassini's Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph on Saturn's moon Enceladus match the locations of dust jets determined from Cassini images, labeled here with Roman n...
More
Graphic of jets of high-density gas detected by Cassini on Enceladus
Gas and Dust Jets Match Up
+ Unannotated version A dense network of small rivers or swampy areas appears to connect some of the seas on Saturn's moon Titan, as seen in this comparison of data of the same area from two ins...
More
Titan Wetlands
Titan Wetlands (Annotated)
This still is from a short computer-animated film that highlights Cassini's accomplishments and Saturn and reveals the science-packed final orbits between April and September 2017. Download the vi...
More
Ring Gap
Ring Gap
This artist’s concept shows an over-the-shoulder view of Cassini making one of its Grand Finale dives over Saturn.
More
Illustration of spacecraft over Saturn.
Cassini Grand Finale Concept 3
The Cassini mission entered its second extended mission, called the Cassini Solstice Mission, in September 2010. This extension enables scientists to study seasonal and other long-term weather chan...
More
Artwork depicting the second extended mission for Cassini, called the "Solstice Mission."
Cassini Solstice Mission
Jean Dominique Cassini (1625-1712) discovered Saturn's moons Iapetus, Rhea, Tethys, and Dione. In 1675, Cassini discovered that Saturn's rings are separated into two parts by a gap. The gap is now ...
More
Jean Dominique Cassini
Jean Dominique Cassini
These polar maps show the first global, topographic mapping of Saturn's moon Titan, using data from NASA's Cassini mission. To create these maps, scientists employed a mathematical process called s...
More
Polar maps of Titan
Polar Views of Titan's Global Topography
+ View unannotated version The vast hydrocarbon seas and lakes (dark shapes) near the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan sprawl out beneath the watchful eye of NASA's Cassini spacecraft. Scientis...
More
The vast hydrocarbon seas and lakes (dark shapes) near the north pole of Saturn's moon Titan sprawl out beneath the watchful eye of NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Bird's Eye View of the Land of Lakes -- Annotated
Artist's rendition of our solar system. Not to scale. 
More
Fanciful illustration of the bodies in our solar system all lined up.
Our Solar System (Artist's Concept)
This graphic plots the source locations of the geysers scientists have located on Enceladus' south polar terrain. 
More
This graphic plots the source locations of the geysers scientists have located on Enceladus' south polar terrain.
Tendril-producing Geysers on Enceladus' South Polar Terrain
Lagrange Points are positions in space where the gravitational forces of a two body system like the Sun and the Earth produce enhanced regions of attraction and repulsion. These can be used by spac...
More
Illustration showing balance points between Earth and Sun.
What is a Lagrange Point?
Christiaan Huygens (1629-1695) discovered Saturn's satellite Titan. He was also the first to clearly see the planet's rings and to explain their appearance over time. Huygens made other significa...
More
Christiaan Huygens
Christiaan Huygens
A computer-generated animation that shows the orbits of Cassini from 2004 to 2017 — affectionately called the "ball of yarn" by the missio team.
More
Animated GIF showing Cassini's orbits rotating.
Cassini's Orbits: The Ball of Yarn (GIF)

You Might Also Like