Skip Navigation
menu close modal

Resources

Anatomy of an Ion Engine

Infographic with diagram of ion propulsion system
Source: NASA/JPL
Published: October 24, 2018

Dawn's futuristic, hyper-efficient ion propulsion system allows Dawn to go into orbit around two different solar system bodies, a first for any spacecraft.

ENLARGE

Related

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.
More
Cassini entering atmosphere
Entering Atmosphere 1
Until recently, Saturn's tiny moon Enceladus was thought to be cold and dead. But close observations by the Cassini spacecraft have revealed dramatic features and made this frozen world a new targe...
More
Artwork for the feature Saturns Moons Explorer -- Enceladus
Saturn Moons Explorer -- Enceladus
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)
This graphic illustrates Cassini's trajectory, or flight path, during the final two phases of its mission. The view is toward Saturn as seen from Earth. The 20 Ring-Grazing Orbits are shown in gray...
More
Illustration show Cassini orbiting Saturn.
Earth View of Final Orbits: Cassini Grand Finale (Artist's Concept)
+ Brightening Adiri -- Unannotated Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show changes caused by methane rain in the bright Adiri region near the equator of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. Altho...
More
Images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft show changes caused by methane rain in the bright Adiri region near the equator of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
Brightening Adiri -- Annotated
Temperature changes mapped with Cassini's composite and infrared spectrometer throughout Saturn's main rings show the ring temperatures decreasing with the increase of the Sun-spacecraft-ring angle...
More
This image shows temperature changes mapped with Cassini's composite and infrared spectrometer throughout Saturn's main rings
Slower Spinning Rings #2
Three new small lakes, 100 to 300 square miles (a few hundreds of square kilometers) in surface area, have been identified on Saturn's moon Titan in data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft. In the imag...
More
Titan
A Sprinkling of Little Lakes
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
+ Version with labels Cassini shot past the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus on Aug. 11, 2008, acquiring a set of seven high-resolution images targeting known jet source locations on the moo...
More
Enceladus
Damascus Sulcus on Enceladus (labeled)
Saturn reaches opposition -- the closest it comes to Earth -- on Jan. 27, 2006. On this date, golden Saturn rises in the east just as the sun sets in the west. It will be visible all night long. A...
More
Illustration of Saturn at opposition to the Earth
Ringside Seats for Saturn
A whimsical mission poster inspired by a classic rock concert poster.
More
Cassini mission poster illustrated as a classic rock concert poster.
Cassini Retro Poster: Swan Song
Pioneer and Voyager trajectories through the early 1990s.
More
Graphic showing four spacecraft leaving the solar system.
Pioneer Trajectories
This is a drawing of Saturn made by an elementary school student.
More
Drawing of Saturn
Student Rendering of Saturn
This temperature map of Saturn's moon Iapetus is constructed from observations of Iapetus's infrared heat radiation taken with the Cassini composite infrared spectrometer instrument during the Dec....
More
Grid showing Iapetus temperatures in various colors.
Iapetus Temperature Map
This graphic, constructed from data obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, shows the percentage of cloud coverage across the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. The color scale from black to yellow sig...
More
Graphic showing percentage of cloud coverage across the surface of Titan.
Mapping Titan's Cloud Coverage
+ Unannotated Version The northern and southern hemispheres of Enceladus are seen in these polar stereographic maps, mosaicked from the best-available Cassini clear-filter images. Each map is...
More
The northern and southern hemispheres of Enceladus are seen in these polar stereographic maps, mosaicked from the best-available Cassini clear-filter images.
Enceladus Polar Maps - December 2011 -- South -- Annotated
To create the first global, topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan, scientists analyzed data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft and a mathematical process called splining. This method effectively uses ...
More
Global, topographic map of Saturn's moon Titan
Two Views of Titan's Topography
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
This set of enhanced-color maps made from data obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft show Saturn's moons Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione and Rhea. The global maps show the colorful splotches and ba...
More
This set of enhanced-color maps made from data obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft show Saturn's moons Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, Dione and Rhea.
Enhanced-Color Maps of Saturn Inner Moons
Some key numbers from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn.
More
A colorful spacecraft graphic showing highlighted numbers from the mission.
Cassini-Huygens By the Numbers
This video describes Cassini measurements of high speed streams of tiny dust particles emanating from the vicinity of Saturn. It presents actual dust measurements and displays Cassini measurements ...
More
Saturn dust
Cosmic Messengers From Saturn
This whimsical poster imagines a future where tourists on Mars will visit the historic landing sites of the today's space missions.
More
Futuristic Mars tourism poster.
Explore Mars: Visions of the Future Poster
Version B of the asteroids installment of our solar system poster series.
More
A movie-style asteroid poster.
Asteroids Poster - Version B
This illustration shows the various steps that lead to the formation of the aerosols that make up the haze on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. When sunlight or highly energetic particles from Satur...
More
This illustration shows the various steps that lead to the formation of the aerosols that make up the haze on Titan, Saturn's largest moon.
The Formation of Titan's Haze
A selection of graphics celebrating America's birthday over the years.
More
Saturn illustrated with fourth of July themes.
Fourth of July

You Might Also Like