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Chapter 1

Chapter 1. Current Space Missions. Cassini-Huygens. Website: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/ Launch date: October 1997

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Chapter 1

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  1. Chapter 1 Current Space Missions

  2. Cassini-Huygens • Website:http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/ • Launch date: October 1997 • Mission: This is a joint mission between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will orbit Saturn for four years, making an extensive survey of the planet and its moons. The ESA Huygens probe’s mission was to land on the surface of Titan, Saturn’s mysterious and largest moon. Titan is the only moon in our solar system to have an atmosphere.

  3. Cassini-Huygens • Accomplishments: • Cassini: The spacecraft arrived in Saturn in July 2004 and became the first to orbit Saturn. It has provided the most detailed images ever of Saturn, its rings and moons. • Huygens: The Huygens probe landed onTitanon January 14th. It is the first to land on a world in the outer Solar System.

  4. Cassini-Huygens • Notables: • The spacecraft made four gravity-assist swing-by maneuvers after it left Earth in order to reach Saturn. Two of these were around Venus while the others were around Earth and Jupiter. As a form of reference, the swing-bys provided the equivalent of 75 tons of rocket fuel (The spacecraft actually uses plutonium for fuel).

  5. Cassini-Huygens • Update: Scientists reported yesterday that they believed Huygens landed on mud. • Current location: Huygens rests frozen at -180 degrees Celsius on Titan's landscape. Cassini continues to orbit Saturn.

  6. Spirit and Opportunity Rovers • Website:http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/ • Launch date: June and July 2003 respectively. • Arrival date: Both rovers landed on opposite sides of Mars in January 2004. They used a combination of parachutes, retro-rockets and air-bags to perform the landing.

  7. Spirit and Opportunity Rovers • Mission: • The twin rovers are part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program whose main objective is to determine whether currently or in the past there has been life on Mars. Spirit’s and Opportunity’s main objective is to search for clues of past water activity on Mars. Also they will make geological and environmental studies of Mars. • The rovers are equipped with various cameras, spectrometers (used for analyzing rock properties), a powerful grinder called a Rock Abrasion Tool (RAT), and a magnet.

  8. Spirit and Opportunity Rovers • Accomplishments: • Rovers have discovered rocks that only a significant amount of liquid water could have created. It is now believed that Mars had seas, and perhaps oceans, in the past. • Rovers have returned over 60,000 images of Mars: • 360 degree view • Plains • Burns cliff • Hills

  9. Spirit and Opportunity Rovers • Notables: • Rovers were designed to last 90 days but after a year both are still going strong. Spirit has journeyed about 2 and a half miles from its landing site. • Current location: Spirit is in the “Columbia Hills”. Opportunity is on the plains of the Meriadini Planum.

  10. Mars Orbiters • Mars Global Surveyor - Arrived in Mars in September 1997 and performed a basic overview of Mars. • Mars Odyssey – Arrived in October 2001 and continued Surveyor’s mapping mission on Mars.

  11. Mars Orbiters • Mars Express Orbiter and Beagle 2 Lander • Arrived in Mars in December 2003 • ESA mission • Beagle 2 was lost upon trying to land on Mars

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