Saturn is one of the most fascinating places in the Solar System, with its huge rings and amazing collection of icy moons.
The planet is observable with the unaided eye.
The rings were first seen by Galileo and later understood by Huygens and Cassini.
Pioneer 11 first visited Saturn in 1979.
Then the twin Voyagers in 1980 and 1981.
In 1982, NASA and ESA began a partnership
to develop an orbiter for Saturn with a lander for Titan, its largest moon.
Equipped with a dozen scientific instruments.
Powered by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators
The spacecraft would use a series of gravitational slingshots to make the journey to Saturn.
Cassini Launched from Cape Canaveral on October 15, 1997 on a Titan IVB/Centaur
Performed its first flyby of Venus on April 25, 1998.
Flew past Earth on August 17, 1999
Reached Jupiter on December 29, 2000
First encounter in the Saturnian system was Phoebe on June 10, 2004, coming within 2,000 km (1,200 miles).
Went into orbit around Saturn on June 30, 2004.
First encounter with Titan on October 24, 2004. Cassini can peer through the thick haze in Titan’s clouds to see the surface.
Huygens probe was detached on December 23, 2004
First flyby of Iapetus on December 30, 2004. Revealed its unusual equatorial ridge.
January 13, 2005. Huygens descended through the clouds on Titan.
It landed on the surface. Survived for 72 minutes, sending back the first pictures from Titan.
March 8, 2006, Cassini found evidence of plumes of liquid water pouring out of the south pole of Enceladus.
Vast liquid oceans beneath the ice, tidally heated by Saturn.
One of the most promising places to search for life in the Solar System.
July 21, 2006. Cassini finds evidence of lakes on Titan filled with liquid hydrocarbons.
Lakes, streams, storms and rain of methane.
So familiar to Earth, but so alien.
Sept 14, 2006, Cassini takes the famous photo of Saturn, obscuring the Sun.
That's Earth, that's you.
Here's Mimas, scarred by a massive impact.
And Rhea.
Cassini tracks a huge swirling storm in Saturn’s northern hemisphere.
Finds tiny moons embedded within Saturn’s F. ring, causing little jets.
Sees the huge hexagon-shaped storm around Saturn’s north pole.
2015, Cassini begins its final flybys of Saturn’s moons. Hyperion
Dione
Enceladus
Rhea
Titan
Scientists are worried that Cassini could contaminate the life on Saturn's icy moons.
They begin a series of 25 flybys that will end the mission on September 15, 2017.
First pass through the rings on April 26, 2017.
Cassini sees Saturn, closer than ever before.
6 named moons discovered.
294 orbits around Saturn and its moons.
453,048 photographs taken.
3948 science papers
7.9 billion kilometers traveled (4.9 billion miles)
20 years
September 15, 2017. Cassini burns up in Saturn's cloudtops.
This is the final image taken by Cassini.
Farewell Cassini