Why in the News?

• US space agency NASA’s Cassini-Huygens spacecraft launched in October 1997.
  • Using Cassini’s radar data, scientists from Cornell University have discovered new information about the liquid ocean on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.

About Cassini-Huygens Mission

• The Cassini-Huygens mission was a collaborative project between NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to explore Saturn and its moons.
• The spacecraft was named after astronomers Giovanni Cassini and Christian Huygens.
• The mission consisted of the Cassini orbiter and the Huygens probe.
• It was launched on October 15, 1997.
• It ended its mission on September 15, 2017 by plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere.

Key Achievements:

• Saturn Exploration:
  • Detailed study of Saturn’s atmosphere, rings, and magnetosphere.
  • Discovered new rings and observed the complex structure of the existing ones.
• Moons of Saturn:
  • Titan Exploration: Huygens probe successfully landed on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, on January 14, 2005, providing the first direct exploration of Titan’s surface and atmosphere.
  • Enceladus Discoveries: Found water-ice plumes erupting from Enceladus, indicating a subsurface ocean that could potentially harbor life.

• Other Moons: Provided detailed images and data on other moons like Lapetus, Rhea, Dione, and Tethys.

• Technological Milestones:
  • Demonstrated the success of long-duration missions in deep space.
  • Advanced the understanding of spacecraft navigation and operation in complex planetary environments.

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