NASA spacecraft captures closest-ever images of Saturn in dive through planet’s rings
A NASA spacecraft has captured the closest-ever image of Saturn – in a daring dive through the narrow gap between the planet and its famous rings.
The Cassini probe has now made contact with NASA again, and is transmitting science data from its plunge through the gap.
Cassini came within about 1,900 miles of Saturn’s cloud tops and within about 200 miles of the innermost visible edge of the rings.
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The gap between the rings and the top of Saturn’s atmosphere is about 1,500 miles wide – and the spaceship zipped through at 77,000mph relative to the planet.
‘In the grandest tradition of exploration, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has once again blazed a trail, showing us new wonders and demonstrating where our curiosity can take us if we dare,’ said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
While mission managers were confident Cassini would pass through the gap successfully, they took extra precautions with this first dive, as the region had never been explored.
‘No spacecraft has ever been this close to Saturn before. We could only rely on predictions, based on our experience with Saturn’s other rings, of what we thought this gap between the rings and Saturn would be like,’ said Cassini Project Manager Earl Maize of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.
‘I am delighted to report that Cassini shot through the gap just as we planned and has come out the other side in excellent shape.’