NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Event Resources Click the following links to visit the resource pages for this press conference. + Meet the Panelists + View Presentation Media

Sustainability through recycling may be the reason why Saturn’s rings persist. Support is mounting for theories that the rings may be a permanent feature of the solar system. Ring scientists once thought the rings were no older than the dinosaurs, a temporary feature destined to dissipate over time. Panelists will discuss new observations from the Cassini mission that show that even when ring particles fragment into groups of smaller particles, those broken families tend to come back together, re-clumping to maintain the overall ring structure.