Gadgetory

NASA's Cassini probe mission is nearing its end and the spacecraft has begun a slingshot maneuver - getting close to Saturn traveling between the innermost rings and the planet's atmosphere in the coming weeks Cassini will continue to get closer and closer to Saturn sending home pictures and scientific data as it nears its grand finale and burns up in Saturn's atmosphere this grand finale is sort of like NASA's equivalent to planting a flag on a planet to show humans were there although the wreckage will disintegrate as it enters the atmosphere Cassini was launched in 1997 from Cape Canaveral Florida and has been actively sending home scientific data and photos of its trip for two decades on Monday morning the satellite passed just 1,600 kilometres or about 1000 miles above Saturn's surface getting a taste of the planet's atmosphere as it passes Cassini is scanning the surface and sending these images back to earth this data will help scientists figure out the makeup of Saturn's atmosphere and what might exist in the space between Saturn's rings and the planet's surface it might also figure out exactly how long a Saturnian day is relative to an earth day Cassini will become the first Saturn atmospheric probe as it gets closer and closer according to Linda spill ker a Cassini project scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory on September 15th 2017 Cassini will crash in a Saturn which will most certainly be an emotional day for all those who have worked so hard on this mission since its conception and launch into space 20 years ago you can watch nasa's live coverage of Kasese grand finale on September 15th 2017 on NASA live TV