PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov
Contact: Stephanie R. Zeluck
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 8, 1997
CASSINI MISSION TO SATURN TO BE EXPLORED IN JPL EVENING TALK
"Countdown to Launch: The Cassini Mission to Saturn" will be
the theme for a free public lecture at 7 p.m. Thursday, September
18, in JPL's von Karman Auditorium. Seating is limited and will
be on a first come, first-served basis.
The lecture will be presented by Dr. Ellis Miner, science
manager of the Cassini mission. Dr. Miner has been a team member
for the infrared science investigations carried aboard the
Mariner 6 and 7 flybys of Mars, the Mariner 9 orbiter of Mars,
the Mariner 10 flybys of Venus and Mercury, the Viking 1 and 2
orbiters of Mars, and the Voyager 1 and 2 flybys of Jupiter. He
served as the assistant project scientist for the Voyager project
during planning, execution and analysis of the Voyager 1 and 2
missions to Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and beyond.
Cassini, the most sophisticated planetary spacecraft ever
built, is scheduled to launch this October aboard a Titan
IVB/Centaur rocket from Cape Canaveral, FL. Using a technique
called gravity-assist, Cassini will slingshot twice around Venus
and once around Earth and Jupiter to accumulate enough momentum
to propel it to Saturn, with a scheduled arrival date of July 1,
2004.
At Saturn, Cassini will deploy the European Space Agency's
Huygens Probe into the depths of the large moon Titan. The size
of a small planet, Titan contains a chemically complex atmosphere
of nitrogen and hydrocarbons, similar to Earth's early
atmosphere. Scientists will use data returned by Huygens to gain
insight into the creation of Titan, as well as a glimpse into the
early history of Earth.
Cassini's 27 scientific investigations will do an in-depth
four-year orbital study of the Saturnian system, following the
Voyager 1 and 2 flybys in 1980 and 1981, which provided a first
close examination of the giant planet. Nine interdisciplinary
investigations utilize data from two or more instruments to
complete their scientific studies. Cassini's scientific
objectives address better understanding of Saturn's interior,
atmosphere, rings, moons and magnetosphere.
Cassini was built and is managed for NASA by JPL. The
European Space Agency (ESA) is contributing the Huygens Probe.
The high-gain antenna and elements of several of Cassini's
science instruments are being provided by the Italian Space
Agency (ASI). JPL is a division of the California Institute of
Technology (Caltech).
This lecture is part of the von Karman Lecture Series held
monthly by the JPL Public Information Office. A web site on the
lecture series is located at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/lecture. For
directions and other information, call the Public Information
Office at (818) 354-5011.
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