Author Topic: The end of Cassini- Huygens  (Read 2603 times)

Offline B.D.F.

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The end of Cassini- Huygens
« on: September 15, 2017, 03:53:49 PM »
I think it is usually Conrad who keeps us up on these things but I happen to run across this and thought I would post about it....

Today will mark the end of the Cassini- Huygens probe project (Easy Boys! a space probe gathering scientific information) when it is directed to an entry trajectory into the planet Saturn. It will not finish that path though and instead will burn up along the way; this is not only intentional but thought a requirement to kill any bacteria or viruses that may exist on the spacecraft in light of the discovery that there are conditions that could support life on one or more of the moons orbiting Saturn. Put another way, we are not taking the chance of contaminating the only other place(s) that we believe, at this time, might contain life in our solar system.

The probe was launched nearly 20 years ago, and expected to orbit Saturn and its moons until 2008 but as the craft was still functional, its EOL (end of life) was pushed back and the project continued until 5:00 PM tonight, Pacific time. It has been collecting and sending data back to Earth for 13 years..... and there are those who say out gummit is inefficient! Sheesh.

Brian
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Offline B.D.F.

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #1 on: September 16, 2017, 05:16:47 PM »
And crash on Saturn it did, yesterday at ~6:30 PM Eastern time.

The probe lasted 30 seconds longer than expected, and its final telemetry to Earth was regarding a sampling of Saturn's atmosphere, the first and only time that has happened and the last time for a long time to come probably.

And that transmission took 83 minutes to reach Earth; even at the speed of light, a billion miles is a long way to travel. And to think that when I was a kid, I had trouble watching UHF stations 25 miles away..... :-)

Brian
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Offline Conrad

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2017, 04:47:21 AM »
It was amazing while it lasted!

https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/



Even more amazing are the twin Voyager probes. They have both far outlasted their predicted EOLs and are still ticking 40 years later.

https://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/

NASA has produced some free posters of the Voyager mission. See the above link.

 
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Offline Rhino

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2017, 07:14:46 AM »
Good stuff! I'm sad that NASA is no longer maned mission capable but there is no doubt that unmanned missions give us WAY more science for the buck.

Offline B.D.F.

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2017, 08:03:08 AM »
Yep, plus the moon was about as far as we could go anyway (manned) and the great majority of people would not want to pay for any more of those visits; the last planned mission to the moon was cancelled, and the last few generated relatively little interest. I am not saying it is a good or a bad idea, merely pointing out what is likely to be funded.

For all the chatter about sending a man (men? people?) to Mars, it is just not w/in our technical capabilities at this time nor in the foreseeable future. And that is the close place after our own moon, all the other places are much, much farther away and so further outside our abilities.

But yeah, the unmanned probes have given us a tremendous amount of information, especially if we stop and think that all of them were made / launched long ago and so made with vastly inferior technology. The Voyager probes had gold plated RECORDS on them! State of the art in the 1970's.

So those things combined have sort of ended our space program I think, at least the outer space program (not counting things we put into our own orbit). And honestly, I cannot see any manned trips to anywhere in the next couple of decades, probably longer than that.

Brian

Good stuff! I'm sad that NASA is no longer maned mission capable but there is no doubt that unmanned missions give us WAY more science for the buck.
Homo Sapiens Sapiens and just a tad of Neanderthal but it usually does not show....  My Private mail is blocked; it is not you, it is me, just like that dating partner said all those years ago. Please send an e-mail if you want to contact me privately.

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Offline Rhino

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2017, 08:18:23 AM »
I'm excited about the implications of quantum entanglement. China claimed recently they had a successful experiment from earth to orbit. If it comes to pass that this technology can be made to transmit data, the implication for space exploration is fantastic. Instant communication with unlimited range implies VR space craft exploring the solar system. No idea if this will ever come to pass but it now seems possible.

Offline Bergmen

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #6 on: September 19, 2017, 02:23:56 PM »
For all the chatter about sending a man (men? people?) to Mars, it is just not w/in our technical capabilities at this time nor in the foreseeable future.

I've been a manned space enthusiast since Shepards sub-orbital Mercury flight in Freedom 7 but I cannot see any advantage in a manned flight to Mars. None at all. Whatever we need or want to learn about Mars can easily be retrieved with any sort of mobile robot (either those that are in development or in the future). Why spend five risky months sending someone (or a crew) to kick red rocks around? I don't get it.

I can see the value in returning to the moon though. I can envision an observatory emplacement that would be much more sophisticated than Hubble or any other earth orbital telescope platform. This moon-based observatory could be automated or manned (manned preferably). There could be one emplacement earth-side, one back-side with an orbiting communication satellite.

Dan

Offline Nosmo

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #7 on: September 20, 2017, 10:12:13 PM »
I'm excited about the implications of quantum entanglement. China claimed recently they had a successful experiment from earth to orbit. If it comes to pass that this technology can be made to transmit data, the implication for space exploration is fantastic. Instant communication with unlimited range implies VR space craft exploring the solar system. No idea if this will ever come to pass but it now seems possible.

So...I could go live on Mars and still get instant porn?  Sign me up!
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Offline Classvino

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2017, 06:40:33 AM »
So...I could go live on Mars and still get instant porn?  Sign me up!

With a mean surface temperature of about -67F, you could say Martians are frigid...

 ;D

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Offline Rhino

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #9 on: September 22, 2017, 09:20:24 AM »
So...I could go live on Mars and still get instant porn?  Sign me up!

That or read this forum

Offline VirginiaJim

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Re: The end of Cassini- Huygens
« Reply #10 on: September 22, 2017, 11:04:49 AM »
 :rotflmao:
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