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Cuneiform tablet: ephemeris of new and full moons for S.E. 263 (48/47 B.C.)

Cuneiform tablet: ephemeris of new and full moons for S.E. 263 (48/47 ...

Public domain photo of a cuneiform object, Babylon, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Cuneiform tablet: ephemeris of new and full moons for S.E. 263 (48/47 B.C.)

Cuneiform tablet: ephemeris of new and full moons for S.E. 263 (48/47 ...

Public domain photograph of 3d object, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description.

Portret van Magdalena Moons - Public domain portrait engraving

Portret van Magdalena Moons - Public domain portrait engraving

Public domain reproduction of portrait art print, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

"Magdalena Moons Begs her Fiancé Francisco Valdez to Postpone the Storming of Leiden another night, 1574

"Magdalena Moons Begs her Fiancé Francisco Valdez to Postpone the Stor...

Public domain image of Dutch print, maritime landscape, ship, sea, free to use, no copyright restrictions - Picryl description

Magdalena Moons, from the series Quatuor Personae...

Magdalena Moons, from the series Quatuor Personae...

Pieter Soutman (Dutch, ca. 1580–1657) Public domain scan of Dutch 17th-century print, Netherlands, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Public domain photo of portrait art print, 17th century, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description.

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Public domain scan of portrait art print, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Public domain scan of portrait art print, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Moons, Magdalena - Public domain portrait engraving

Public domain scan of portrait art print, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

[Tooled leather album cover with Sultan Abdul Hamid II's tuǧra (stylized signature), border of crescent moons and stars, and title in Ottoman Turkish]

[Tooled leather album cover with Sultan Abdul Hamid II's tuǧra (styliz...

Title translated from album caption. Captioned in Ottoman Turkish and French. No. 1a. In album: The Imperial Military Academy and other military schools, Istanbul, Ottoman Empire. Forms part of: Abdul-Hamid II ... More

Harris and Ewing, Washington, D.C.

Harris and Ewing, Washington, D.C.

An old black and white photo of a man, Library of Congress Harris and Ewing collection Portraits and news photographs by Washington, D.C.-based firm, showing people, events, architecture in Washington, D.C. an... More

Two Moons - Cheyenne, gelatin silver print

Two Moons - Cheyenne, gelatin silver print

Artist: Richard Throssel.Artist Bio: American, 1882 - 1933.Creation Date: c. 1910.Process: gelatin silver print.Credit Line: Gift of Graham and Susan Nash.Accession Number: 2003.003.062

Taj-Mahal, twilight CWB monogram ; Charles W. Bartlett

Taj-Mahal, twilight CWB monogram ; Charles W. Bartlett

Print shows full moon over the Yamuna River with Taj Mahal in the background, Agra, India. K146425 U.S. Copyright Office. Notation on recto: "For copyright."

Artwork Pioneer 10 mission artwork depicts Jupiter and it's moons (Used in NASA SP-349) ARC-1972-AC72-1350

Artwork Pioneer 10 mission artwork depicts Jupiter and it's moons (Us...

Artwork Pioneer 10 mission artwork depicts Jupiter and it's moons (Used in NASA SP-349)

AS17-149-22921 - Apollo 17 - Apollo 17 - Moons, Timocharis A

AS17-149-22921 - Apollo 17 - Apollo 17 - Moons, Timocharis A

The original database describes this as: Description: View of moon,Timocharis A. Image taken during the Apollo 17 mission on Revolution 65. Original film magazine was labeled KK. Film type was SO-368 Color Ekt... More

Gaspra, Deimos, and Phobos. NASA public domain image colelction.

Gaspra, Deimos, and Phobos. NASA public domain image colelction.

Description: (1977) This montage shows asteroid 951 Gaspra (top) compared with Deimos (lower left) and Phobos (lower right), the moons of Mars. The three bodies are shown at the same scale and nearly the same l... More

Voyager Spacecraft During Vibration Testing

Voyager Spacecraft During Vibration Testing

Two Voyager spacecraft were launched in 1977 to explore the outer planets and some of their satellites. A prototype Voyager spacecraft is shown at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, as it... More

Europa , the smallest of the Galilean satellites, or Moons , of Jupiter , is seen here as taken by Voyager 1. Range : 2 million km (1.2 million miles) is centered at about the 300 degree Meridian. The bright areas are probably ice deposits, while the dark may be rocky surface or areas of more patchy ice distribution. Most unusual features are systems of linear structures crossing the surface in various directions. Of these, some of which are over 1000 km. long , & 2 or 3 hundred km. wide, may be faults which have disrupted the surface. ARC-1979-AC79-7003

Europa , the smallest of the Galilean satellites, or Moons , of Jupite...

Europa , the smallest of the Galilean satellites, or Moons , of Jupiter , is seen here as taken by Voyager 1. Range : 2 million km (1.2 million miles) is centered at about the 300 degree Meridian. The bright... More

As Voyager 1 approches Jupiter three of its moons can be seen JPL ref. No. C-206 ARC-1979-AC79-7111

As Voyager 1 approches Jupiter three of its moons can be seen JPL ref....

As Voyager 1 approches Jupiter three of its moons can be seen JPL ref. No. C-206

Range : top- 86,000 miles bottom- 192,000 mi. These two close-ups of Ganymede, the largest of Jupiter's 13 moons, show different views of the largest block of dark, heavily cratered terrain. The bottom image shows objects 3 or 4 miles across, with resolution of about 1.5 miles. The light, linear stripes recurring across the dark region resemble the outer rings of the large ring structure around Callisto. If these features are related to an ancient ring structure formed by a large impact, their small curvature suggests that the original structure was even larger than one seen on Callisto. There is no apparent trace now of the center of this suggested structure, which must have been destroyed by the resurfacing evident over most of Ganymede in the grooved terrain. Another interpretation is that these features are not impact-related rings, but rather internally produced fractures crossing the dark terrain, similiar to the grooved bands. ARC-1979-A79-7107

Range : top- 86,000 miles bottom- 192,000 mi. These two close-ups o...

Range : top- 86,000 miles bottom- 192,000 mi. These two close-ups of Ganymede, the largest of Jupiter's 13 moons, show different views of the largest block of dark, heavily cratered terrain. The bottom image... More

Range : 7.7 million km. ( 4.8 million miles ) P-29465 In this image captured by Voyager 2, three newly discovered satellites of Uranus can be seen orbiting outside of the nine known rings of Uranus. The outermost of the rings, the Epsilon Ring can be seen here at upper right. The largest of the three moons viewed here, 1986U1, was discovered January 3rd. it is an estimated 90 km. ( 55 mi. ) across and its orbits Uranus every 12 hours, 19 minutes ata distance of 66,090 km. ( 41,040 mi.) from the planets center. the other two moons are slightly smaller, 1986U3 orbits every 11 hours, 6 minutes at 61,750 km. ( 38,350 mi.),1986U4 every 13 hours, 24 minutes at 69,920 km. ( 43,420 mi.). They were dicovered on January 9th and 13th, respectively. Long exposures were required to bring out these small objects. As a result of the relative motions of the spacecraft and the moons, they appear slightly elongated. ARC-1981-A86-7005

Range : 7.7 million km. ( 4.8 million miles ) P-29465 In this image c...

Range : 7.7 million km. ( 4.8 million miles ) P-29465 In this image captured by Voyager 2, three newly discovered satellites of Uranus can be seen orbiting outside of the nine known rings of Uranus. The outerm... More

Range : 4.1 million km. ( 2.5 million miles ) P-29466B/W Voyager 2 has discovered two 'shepard' satellites associated with the rings of Uranus. The two moons, designated 1986U7 and 1986U8, are seen here on either side of the bright Epsilon Ring. All nine of the known Uranian rings are visible here. The image was proccessed to enhance narrow features. The Epsilon Ring appears surrounded by a dark halo as a result of this proccessing. Occasional blips seen on the ring are also artifacts. Lying inward from the Epsilon Ring are the Delta, Gamma, and Eta Rings; then the Beta abd Alpha Rings; and finally, the barely visible 4, 5, and 6 Rings. The rings have been studied since their discovery in 1977, through observations of how they diminish the light of stars they pass in front of. This image is the first direct observationn of all nine rings in reflected sunlight. They range in width from about 100 km. (60 mi.) at the widest part of the Epsilon Ring to only a few kilometers for most of the others. The discovery of the two ring moons 1986U7 and 1986U8 is a major advance in our understanding of the structure of the Uranian rings and is in good agreement with theoretical predictions of how these narrow rings are kept from spreading out. Based on likely surface brightness properties, the moons are of roughly 20 and 30 km. diameter, respectively. ARC-1981-A86-7006

Range : 4.1 million km. ( 2.5 million miles ) P-29466B/W Voyager 2 ha...

Range : 4.1 million km. ( 2.5 million miles ) P-29466B/W Voyager 2 has discovered two 'shepard' satellites associated with the rings of Uranus. The two moons, designated 1986U7 and 1986U8, are seen here on ei... More

This photograph is a Voyager 2 image of one of the moons of Saturn. ARC-1981-A81-7064

This photograph is a Voyager 2 image of one of the moons of Saturn. AR...

This photograph is a Voyager 2 image of one of the moons of Saturn.

P- 24281 Saturn and it's seven moons, as photographed by Voyager 2. composite image ARC-1981-AC81-7073

P- 24281 Saturn and it's seven moons, as photographed by Voyager 2. co...

P- 24281 Saturn and it's seven moons, as photographed by Voyager 2. composite image

Jurist Marc Bossuyt op Schiphol na een onderzoek in Suriname naar de toedracht van de "doden van 8 december"

Jurist Marc Bossuyt op Schiphol na een onderzoek in Suriname naar de t...

V.l.n.r. Marc Bossuyt, Charles Moons (Nederlands Juristen Comité voor de Mensenrechten) en Hans Thoolen (directeur van het Studie- en Informatiecentrum Mensenrechten)

Jurist Marc Bossuyt op Schiphol na een onderzoek in Suriname naar de toedracht van de "doden van 8 december"

Jurist Marc Bossuyt op Schiphol na een onderzoek in Suriname naar de t...

V.l.n.r. Charles Moons (Nederlands Juristen Comité voor de Mensenrechten), Marc Bossuyt en Hans Thoolen (directeur van het Studie- en Informatiecentrum Mensenrechten)

The planet Saturn and surrounding moons as seen from space

The planet Saturn and surrounding moons as seen from space

The original finding aid described this photograph as: Country: Space Scene Camera Operator: Unknown Release Status: Released to Public Combined Military Service Digital Photographic Files

P-29505 Moon Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus' moons ARC-1986-A86-7021

P-29505 Moon Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus' moons ARC-1986-A86-7021

P-29505 Moon Voyager 2 flyby of Uranus' moons

Range : 5 to 6.1 million km. ( 3.1-.8 million miles ) P-29314B/W This 'family portrait' of Uranus' five largest moons was compiled from images sent back from Voyager 2 The photographs were taken through a clear filter. ARC-1986-A86-7004

Range : 5 to 6.1 million km. ( 3.1-.8 million miles ) P-29314B/W This...

Range : 5 to 6.1 million km. ( 3.1-.8 million miles ) P-29314B/W This 'family portrait' of Uranus' five largest moons was compiled from images sent back from Voyager 2 The photographs were taken through a clear filter.

P-29521 BW Range: 557,000 kilometers ( 346, 000 miles) The southern hemisphere of Umbriel displays heavy cratering in this Voyager 2 image. This frame, taken through the clear-filter of Voyager's narrow-angle camera, is the most detailed image of Umbriel, with a resolution of about 10 km (6 mi). Umbriel is the darkest of Uranus' larger moons and the one that appears to have experienced the lowest level of geological activity. It has a diameter of about 1,200 km (750 mi) and reflects only 16 percent of the light striking its surface; in the latter respect, Umbriel is similiar to lunar highland areas. Umbriel is heavily cratered but lacks the numerous bright-ray craters seen on the other large Uranian satellites; this results in a relatively uniform surface albedo (reflectivity). The prominent crater on the terminator (upper right) is about 110 km (70 mi) across and has a bright central peak. The strangest feature in this image (at top) is a curious bright ring, the most reflective area seen on Umbriel. The ring is about 140 km (90 mi) in diameter and lies near the satellite's equator. The nature of the ring is not known, although it might be a frost deposit, perhaps associated with an impact crater. Spots against the black background are due to 'noise' in the data. ARC-1986-A86-7037

P-29521 BW Range: 557,000 kilometers ( 346, 000 miles) The southern he...

P-29521 BW Range: 557,000 kilometers ( 346, 000 miles) The southern hemisphere of Umbriel displays heavy cratering in this Voyager 2 image. This frame, taken through the clear-filter of Voyager's narrow-angle c... More

P-29502C Range: 1.04 million kilometers (650,000 miles) This color photo of Umbriel, the darkest of Uranus' five large moons was synthesized from frames exposed with the Voyager narrow-angle camera's violet and clear filters and has a resolution of 19 km (12 mi.). Umbriel is characterized by the darkest surface and smallest brightness variations of any of the large satellites of Uranus. As seen here, the surface is also generally gray and colorless. Nevertheless, at this resolution, considerable topographic detail is revealed, showing that Umbriel's surface is covered by impact craters. The brightest spot (shown at top near the equator at approxiamately 270 ° longitude) appears as a bright ring. Its geological significance is not yet understood. Umbriel has a diameter of about 1,200 km (750 miles) and orbits 267,000 km (166,000 mi) from Uranus' center. The satellite's name, from Alexander Pope's 'Rape of the Lock,' means 'dark angel'. ARC-1986-AC86-7018

P-29502C Range: 1.04 million kilometers (650,000 miles) This color pho...

P-29502C Range: 1.04 million kilometers (650,000 miles) This color photo of Umbriel, the darkest of Uranus' five large moons was synthesized from frames exposed with the Voyager narrow-angle camera's violet and... More

P-29519BW Range: 500,000 kilometers (300,000 miles) Several craters are seen on the surface of 1986U1, one of the several small moons of Uranus discovered by Voyager 2. This single image, a clear-filtered, narrow-angle picture with a resolution of about 10 km (6 mi), is the only closeup the spacecraft obtained of any of the new moons. The moon was found December 30, 1985; it was the first and largest of nine satellites discovered by the spacecraft's cameras. This image shows 1986U1 to be a dark, nearly spherical object, with a diameter of about 150 km (90 mi); the dark surface reflects only 7 percent of the incident light. The picture was inserted into the Voyager encounter sequence late in its development.This image has had a complex history, having been recorded on the spacecraft tape recorder and first played back during the late afternoon of its recording. An antenna-pointing problem at one of the Austrailian tracking stations led to the loss of the data, so the image had to be retransmitted. ARC-1986-A86-7035

P-29519BW Range: 500,000 kilometers (300,000 miles) Several craters ar...

P-29519BW Range: 500,000 kilometers (300,000 miles) Several craters are seen on the surface of 1986U1, one of the several small moons of Uranus discovered by Voyager 2. This single image, a clear-filtered, nar... More

Space Shuttle Atlantis, Galileo, 1989-2003

Space Shuttle Atlantis, Galileo, 1989-2003

Image Credit: NASA..Description Galileo was an robotic spacecraft, which studied Jupiter and its moons. It was launched on October 19, 1989 by the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-34 mission...Galileo plunged ... More

P-34540 Range: 37.3 million kilometers (23.6 million miles) This image captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft was used to confirm the discovery of three new satellites orbiting Neptune. The 46-second exposure was taken with the narrow angle camera and shows the large globe of the planet to be severely overexposed and almost pure white in appearance. The image has been computer-processed to accentuate the new moons, which otherwise would be hard to distinguish from background noise. The satellite 1989N1, at right in this frame, was discovered by Voyager 2 in early July 1989. The new satellites confirmed later are 1989N2, 1989N3 and 1989N4. Each of the moons appears as a small streak, an effect caused by movement of the spacecraft during the long exposure. The new moons occupy nearly circular and equatorial orbits ranging from about 27,300 to 48,300 kilometers (17,000 to 30,000 miles) from Neptunes's cloud tops, and are estimated to range in diameter from about 100 to 200 kilometers (about 60 to 125 miles). ARC-1989-A89-7041

P-34540 Range: 37.3 million kilometers (23.6 million miles) This image...

P-34540 Range: 37.3 million kilometers (23.6 million miles) This image captured by the Voyager 2 spacecraft was used to confirm the discovery of three new satellites orbiting Neptune. The 46-second exposure was... More

P-34669 Range : 2.6 million km. ( 1.6 million miles ) Smallest Resolvable Feature : 50 km or 31 miles These two Voyager 2 images, shot through clear filters, show the largest of the new moons of Neptune, 1989N1, discovered by Voyager. The satellite, made of dark material that reflects about 6 % of incident sunlight, has an average radius of about 200 kilometers ( 124 miles ) and an irregular shape. Its similiar appearance in the two images shows that the shape seen here is not the result of image noise or smear. This may the largest satellite in the solar system with such an irregular shape. satellite 1989N1 is slightly larger than the previously known small Neptunian moon Nereid but is very much darker. ARC-1989-A89-7021

P-34669 Range : 2.6 million km. ( 1.6 million m...

P-34669 Range : 2.6 million km. ( 1.6 million miles ) Smallest Resolvable Feature : 50 km or 31 miles These two Voyager 2 images, shot through clear filters, show the largest of the new ... More

Cassini Saturn Probe Undergoes Preflight Testing

Cassini Saturn Probe Undergoes Preflight Testing

(October 31, 1996) The newly assembled Cassini Saturn probe undergoes vibration and thermal testing at the JPL facilities in Pasadena, California. Subjected to weeks of "shake and bake" tests that imitate the f... More

Preparations for adding Cassini's propulsion module

Preparations for adding Cassini's propulsion module

(July 2, 1997) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians clean and prepare the upper equipment module for mating with the nuclear propulsion module subsystem of the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Se... More

Inspecting Cassini's nuclear power source

Inspecting Cassini's nuclear power source

(June 17, 1997) Environmental Health Specialist Jamie A. Keeley of EG&G Florida Inc., KSC's base operations contractor, uses an ion chamber dose rate meter to measure radiation levels in one of the three radioi... More

Repair to the Huygens probe. NASA public domain image colelction.

Repair to the Huygens probe. NASA public domain image colelction.

(September 10, 1997) Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) workers examine the Huygens probe after removal from the Cassini spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at KSC. The spacecraft was ret... More

Workers offload the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter from what looks like a giant shark mouth, but is really an Air Force C-17 air cargo plane which /1997/66-97.htm">just landed</a> at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The orbiter and the Huygens probe already being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc678

Workers offload the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter from w...

Workers offload the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter from what looks like a giant shark mouth, but is really an Air Force C-17 air cargo plane which kscpao/release/1997/66-97.htm">just landed</a> at ... More

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) for prelaunch processing, testing and integration. The /1997/66-97.htm">orbiter arrived</a> at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility in a U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo plane from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The orbiter and the Huygens probe already being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc682

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbite...

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) for prelaunch processing, testing and integration. The kscpao/release/1997/66-97.ht... More

Workers prepare to tow away the large container with the Cassini orbiter from KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility. The orbiter /1997/66-97.htm">just arrived</a> on the U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo plane, shown here, from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The orbiter and the Huygens probe already being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc679

Workers prepare to tow away the large container with the Cassini orbit...

Workers prepare to tow away the large container with the Cassini orbiter from KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility. The orbiter kscpao/release/1997/66-97.htm">just arrived</a> on the U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo pla... More

Workers begin unloading the Cassini orbiter from a U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo plane after its /1997/66-97.htm">arrival</a> at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The orbiter and the Huygens probe already being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc677

Workers begin unloading the Cassini orbiter from a U.S. Air Force C-17...

Workers begin unloading the Cassini orbiter from a U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo plane after its kscpao/release/1997/66-97.htm">arrival</a> at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility from Edwards Air Force Base, Califor... More

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) for prelaunch processing, testing and integration. The /1997/66-97.htm">orbiter arrived</a> at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility in a U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo plane from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The orbiter and the Huygens probe already being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc681

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbite...

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) for prelaunch processing, testing and integration. The kscpao/release/1997/66-97.ht... More

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) for prelaunch processing, testing and integration. The /1997/66-97.htm">orbiter arrived</a> at KSC’s Shuttle Landing Facility in a U.S. Air Force C-17 air cargo plane from Edwards Air Force Base, California. The orbiter and the Huygens probe already being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc680

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbite...

Workers prepare to move the shipping container with the Cassini orbiter inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) for prelaunch processing, testing and integration. The kscpao/release/1997/66-97.ht... More

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) sews thermal insulation material on the front heat shield of the Huygens probe during prelaunch processing testing and integration in that facility, with the probe’s back cover in the background. The Huygens probe and the Cassini orbiter being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc729

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) sews th...

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) sews thermal insulation material on the front heat shield of the Huygens probe during prelaunch processing testing and integration in that facility... More

A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) stands behind the bottom side of the experiment platform for the Huygens probe that will accompany the Cassini orbiter to Saturn during prelaunch processing testing and integration in that facility. The Huygens probe and the Cassini orbiter being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc732

A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) stands beh...

A worker in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) stands behind the bottom side of the experiment platform for the Huygens probe that will accompany the Cassini orbiter to Saturn during prelaunch proc... More

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) stand around the upper experiment module and base of the Cassini orbiter during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility. The Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc731

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) stand aroun...

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) stand around the upper experiment module and base of the Cassini orbiter during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility. The Cas... More

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) perform checkouts of the upper experiment module and base of the Cassini orbiter during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility. The Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc727

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) perform che...

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) perform checkouts of the upper experiment module and base of the Cassini orbiter during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility.... More

Employees in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) lower the upper experiment module and base of the Cassini orbiter onto a work stand during prelaunch processing, testing and integration work in that facility. The Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc726

Employees in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) lower the...

Employees in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) lower the upper experiment module and base of the Cassini orbiter onto a work stand during prelaunch processing, testing and integration work in that... More

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) sews thermal insulation material on the back cover and heat shield of the Huygens probe during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility. The Huygens probe and the Cassini orbiter being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc728

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) sews th...

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) sews thermal insulation material on the back cover and heat shield of the Huygens probe during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in tha... More

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) works on the top side of the experiment platform for the Huygens probe that will accompany the Cassini orbiter to Saturn during prelaunch processing, testing and integration in that facility. The Huygens probe and the Cassini orbiter being processed at KSC are the two primary components of the Cassini spacecraft, which will be launched on a Titan IVB/Centaur expendable launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral Air Station. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. Following postflight inspections, integration of the 12 science instruments not already installed on the orbiter will be completed. Then, the parabolic high-gain antenna and the propulsion module will be mated to the orbiter, followed by the Huygens probe, which will complete spacecraft integration. The Cassini mission is targeted for an Oct. 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004 KSC-97pc730

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) works o...

An employee in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) works on the top side of the experiment platform for the Huygens probe that will accompany the Cassini orbiter to Saturn during prelaunch processin... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Centaur upper stage is prepared for hoisting at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station to be mated with the Titan IV expendable launch vehicle that will propel the Cassini spacecraft and the European Space Agency's Huygens probe to Saturn and its moon Titan. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. The Cassini mission is targeted for an October 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004. KSC-97PC915

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Centaur upper stage is prepared for ho...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Centaur upper stage is prepared for hoisting at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station to be mated with the Titan IV expendable launch vehicle that will propel the Cassini s... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Centaur upper stage is hoisted at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station for mating with the Titan IV expendable launch vehicle that will propel the Cassini spacecraft and the European Space Agency's Huygens probe to Saturn and its moon Titan. Cassini will explore Saturn, its rings and moons for four years. The Huygens probe, designed and developed for the European Space Agency (ESA), will be deployed from the orbiter to study the clouds, atmosphere and surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. The orbiter was designed and assembled at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. The Cassini mission is targeted for an October 6 launch to begin its 6.7-year journey to the Saturnian system. Arrival at the planet is expected to occur around July 1, 2004. KSC-97PC916

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Centaur upper stage is hoisted at Laun...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A Centaur upper stage is hoisted at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station for mating with the Titan IV expendable launch vehicle that will propel the Cassini spacecraft and t... More

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians clean and prepare the upper equipment module for mating with the propulsion module subsystem of the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. A four- year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1018

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians clean and prepare the upp...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians clean and prepare the upper equipment module for mating with the propulsion module subsystem of the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at K... More

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians in a blue crane at the top of the white upper equipment module (UEM) level the UEM prior to separation from its dolly. The module will be prepared for stacking atop Cassini’s propulsion module in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC. Cassini, a four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1017

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians in a blue crane at the to...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians in a blue crane at the top of the white upper equipment module (UEM) level the UEM prior to separation from its dolly. The module will be prepared for stacking atop... More

Technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) lower the upper equipment module over a propellant tank in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July prior to installation on the Cassini orbiter. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. The propellant tank will assist with guidance of the orbiter and power during the spacecraft’s voyage and in-orbit periods. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1016

Technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) lower the upper ...

Technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) lower the upper equipment module over a propellant tank in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July prior to installation on the Cassini orb... More

Technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology lift the remote sensing pallet in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July prior to installation on the Cassini spacecraft. A four- year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1026

Technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the Californi...

Technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology lift the remote sensing pallet in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July prior to installation o... More

The complete remote sensing pallet is lowered by technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology and mated at the interface with the Cassini spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1028

The complete remote sensing pallet is lowered by technicians from the...

The complete remote sensing pallet is lowered by technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology and mated at the interface with the Cassini spacecraft in the Pa... More

The complete remote sensing pallet is lowered by technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology to mate with the Cassini spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1027

The complete remote sensing pallet is lowered by technicians from th...

The complete remote sensing pallet is lowered by technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) of the California Institute of Technology to mate with the Cassini spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Se... More

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians reposition and level the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July after stacking the craft’s upper equipment module on the propulsion module. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1020

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians reposition and level the ...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians reposition and level the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July after stacking the craft’s upper equipment module on the propuls... More

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians reposition and level the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July after stacking the craft’s upper equipment module on the propulsion module. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral Air Station in October 1997. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1019

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians reposition and level the ...

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) technicians reposition and level the Cassini orbiter in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at KSC in July after stacking the craft’s upper equipment module on the propuls... More

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., work on the lifting fixture that picks up the Cassini spacecraft in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The orbiter alone weighs about 4,750 pounds (2,150 kilograms). At launch, the combined orbiter, Huygens probe, launch vehicle adapter, and propellants will weigh about 12,346 pounds (5,600 kilograms). Scheduled for launch in October, the Cassini mission, a joint US-European four-year orbital surveillance of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere, its rings, and its moons, seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1108

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasad...

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., work on the lifting fixture that picks up the Cassini spacecraft in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The orbiter al... More

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., secure the Cassini spacecraft to its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The adapter will later be mated to a Titan IV/Centaur expendable launch vehicle that will lift Cassini into space. The mechanic in the crane lift at right is assisting in exact positioning of the spacecraft for precise fitting. Scheduled for launch in October, the Cassini mission seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1111

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasad...

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., secure the Cassini spacecraft to its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The adapter will l... More

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., lift the Cassini spacecraft along with its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The black conical-shaped adapter seen at the bottom of the spacecraft will later be mated to a Titan IV/Centaur expendable launch vehicle that will lift Cassini into space. Scheduled for launch in October, the Cassini mission seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1112

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasad...

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., lift the Cassini spacecraft along with its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The black con... More

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., inspect their work after mating the Cassini spacecraft to its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The adapter will later be mated to a Titan IV/Centaur expendable launch vehicle that will lift Cassini into space. Scheduled for launch in October, the Cassini mission, a joint US-European four-year orbital surveillance of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere, its rings, and its moons, seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1109

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasad...

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., inspect their work after mating the Cassini spacecraft to its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Faci... More

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., lower the Cassini spacecraft onto its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The adapter will later be mated to a Titan IV/Centaur expendable launch vehicle that will lift Cassini into space. Scheduled for launch in October, the Cassini mission, a joint US-European four-year orbital surveillance of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere, its rings, and its moons, seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. It will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. JPL is managing the Cassini project for NASA KSC-97PC1110

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasad...

Flight mechanics from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., lower the Cassini spacecraft onto its launch vehicle adapter in KSC’s Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. The adapter will ... More

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility PHSF at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cassini spacecraft is being lifted for placement on a transporter which will move it to Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Cassini is an international mission conducted by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, 1997, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will study the planet, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology. Photo Credit: NASA KSC-97PC-1336

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility PH...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility PHSF at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Cassini spacecraft is being lifted for placement on a transporter which will move it to La... More

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), the Cassini spacecraft is prepared for its lift onto a transporter which will move it to Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will study the planet, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1335

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), the Cassini spacec...

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), the Cassini spacecraft is prepared for its lift onto a transporter which will move it to Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is an i... More

The Cassini spacecraft is on view for the media in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on an Air Force Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. Cassini carries a scientific probe called Huygens, provided by the European Space Agency. Huygens will be released from the main Cassini spacecraft and parachute through the atmosphere of Saturn's most intriguing moon, Titan, which is thought to chemically resemble a very cold version of Earth's environment before life began. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1273

The Cassini spacecraft is on view for the media in the Payload Hazardo...

The Cassini spacecraft is on view for the media in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on an Air Force Titan IV/... More

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), Charley Kohlhase, Cassini's science and mission design manager, and Richard Spehalski, program manager of the Cassini mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., hold the Digital Video Disk (DVD) bearing 616,400 digitized signatures from people around the world which will soon be attached to the Cassini spacecraft in the background. Kohlhase oversaw the signature disk development. The two-story-tall spacecraft is scheduled for launch on an Air Force Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle on Oct. 6, 1997, and destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons, and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1275

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), Charley Kohlhase, ...

In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF), Charley Kohlhase, Cassini's science and mission design manager, and Richard Spehalski, program manager of the Cassini mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laborat... More

Richard Spehalski, program manager of the Cassini mission, and Hamid Hassan, the European Space Agency Huygens project manager, stand in front of the Cassini spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF). The Cassini spacecraft is scheduled to launch on an Air Force Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle on Oct. 6, 1997. It is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, to study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment for a four-year period. The Cassini project is managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif KSC-97PC1276

Richard Spehalski, program manager of the Cassini mission, and Hamid H...

Richard Spehalski, program manager of the Cassini mission, and Hamid Hassan, the European Space Agency Huygens project manager, stand in front of the Cassini spacecraft in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facili... More

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) place a protective covering over the Cassini spacecraft in preparation for its move to Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will study the planet, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1334

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) place a pro...

Workers in the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) place a protective covering over the Cassini spacecraft in preparation for its move to Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is... More

Technicians at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), connect the crane to the top of the Cassini spacecraft in preparation for the lift to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1306

Technicians at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), c...

Technicians at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), connect the crane to the top of the Cassini spacecraft in preparation for the lift to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini... More

The Cassini spacecraft is lowered to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1307

The Cassini spacecraft is lowered to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur l...

The Cassini spacecraft is lowered to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS). Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronau... More

Technicians at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), connect the crane to the top of the Cassini spacecraft in preparation for the lift to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1305

Technicians at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), c...

Technicians at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), connect the crane to the top of the Cassini spacecraft in preparation for the lift to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini... More

Technicians at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) begin to remove the transportation cover from the Cassini spacecraft after it was lifted to the top of the Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle at Complex 40. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1302

Technicians at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) begin to remove the t...

Technicians at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) begin to remove the transportation cover from the Cassini spacecraft after it was lifted to the top of the Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle at Complex 40. Cassini... More

The Cassini spacecraft is rolled out of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., shortly before being transported to Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) where it will be lifted to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1303

The Cassini spacecraft is rolled out of the Payload Hazardous Servicin...

The Cassini spacecraft is rolled out of the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility (PHSF) at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., shortly before being transported to Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) where i... More

The Cassini spacecraft arrives at Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), where it will be lifted to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 6, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-97PC1304

The Cassini spacecraft arrives at Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Stati...

The Cassini spacecraft arrives at Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), where it will be lifted to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the N... More

The Cassini spacecraft, covered by an environmentally controlled protective enclosure, is lifted at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), in preparation to mate it to the top of its Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. Cassini is an international mission conducted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The two-story-tall spacecraft, scheduled for launch on Oct. 13, is destined to arrive at Saturn in July 2004, where it will orbit and study Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetic environment in detail over a four-year period. The Cassini mission is managed for NASA's Office of Space Science by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology KSC-11401f24

The Cassini spacecraft, covered by an environmentally controlled prote...

The Cassini spacecraft, covered by an environmentally controlled protective enclosure, is lifted at Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS), in preparation to mate it to the top of its Titan IV/Cen... More

The Cassini spacecraft, protected by an environmentally controlled protective fairing, is sitting at Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, awaiting its launch scheduled for mid-October atop a Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. A four-year, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the Cassini project KSC-11416f04

The Cassini spacecraft, protected by an environmentally controlled pro...

The Cassini spacecraft, protected by an environmentally controlled protective fairing, is sitting at Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, awaiting its launch scheduled for mid-October atop a Titan IV/Centaur l... More

The Cassini spacecraft awaits placement of its payload fairing at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) to protect Cassini during launch. Scheduled for launch in mid-October, the Cassini mission is a joint US-European four-year orbital surveillance of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere, its rings, and its moons, seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the Cassini project KSC-11415f07

The Cassini spacecraft awaits placement of its payload fairing at Laun...

The Cassini spacecraft awaits placement of its payload fairing at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) to protect Cassini during launch. Scheduled for launch in mid-October, the Cassini mission is... More

The Cassini spacecraft, protected by an environmentally controlled protective fairing, is sitting at Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, awaiting its launch scheduled for mid-October atop a Titan IV/Centaur launch vehicle. A fouryear, close-up study of the Saturnian system, the Cassini mission will take seven years for the spacecraft to reach Saturn. Scientific instruments carried aboard the spacecraft will study Saturn’s atmosphere, magnetic field, rings, and several moons. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the Cassini project KSC-11415f10

The Cassini spacecraft, protected by an environmentally controlled pro...

The Cassini spacecraft, protected by an environmentally controlled protective fairing, is sitting at Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station, awaiting its launch scheduled for mid-October atop a Titan IV/Centaur l... More

The Cassini spacecraft awaits placement of its payload fairing at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) to protect Cassini during launch. Scheduled for launch in mid-October, the Cassini mission is a joint US-European four-year orbital surveillance of Saturn's atmosphere and magnetosphere, its rings, and its moons, seeks insight into the origins and evolution of the early solar system. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is managing the Cassini project KSC-11415f06

The Cassini spacecraft awaits placement of its payload fairing at Laun...

The Cassini spacecraft awaits placement of its payload fairing at Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Station (CCAS) to protect Cassini during launch. Scheduled for launch in mid-October, the Cassini mission is... More

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Station. After a 2.2-billion mile journey that will include two swingbys of Venus and one of Earth to gain additional velocity, the two-story tall spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July 2004. The orbiter will circle the planet for four years, its complement of 12 scientific instruments gathering data about Saturn's atmosphere, rings and magnetosphere and conducting closeup observations of the Saturnian moons. Huygens, with a separate suite of six science instruments, will separate from Cassini to fly on a ballistic trajectory toward Titan, the only celestial body besides Earth to have an atmosphere rich in nitrogen. Scientists are eager to study further this chemical similarity in hopes of learning more about the origins of our own planet Earth. Huygens will provide the first direct sampling of Titan's atmospheric chemistry and the first detailed photographs of its surface. The Cassini mission is an international effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. contribution to the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. The major U.S. contractor is Lockheed Martin, which provided the launch vehicle and upper stage, spacecraft propulsion module and radioisotope thermoelectric generators that will provide power for the spacecraft. The Titan IV/Centaur is a U.S. Air Force launch vehicle, and launch operations were managed by the 45th Space Wing KSC-97PC1546

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A seven-year journey to the ringed plane...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43... More

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Station. After a 2.2-billion mile journey that will include two swingbys of Venus and one of Earth to gain additional velocity, the two-story tall spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July 2004. The orbiter will circle the planet for four years, its complement of 12 scientific instruments gathering data about Saturn's atmosphere, rings and magnetosphere and conducting closeup observations of the Saturnian moons. Huygens, with a separate suite of six science instruments, will separate from Cassini to fly on a ballistic trajectory toward Titan, the only celestial body besides Earth to have an atmosphere rich in nitrogen. Scientists are eager to study further this chemical similarity in hopes of learning more about the origins of our own planet Earth. Huygens will provide the first direct sampling of Titan's atmospheric chemistry and the first detailed photographs of its surface. The Cassini mission is an international effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. contribution to the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. The major U.S. contractor is Lockheed Martin, which provided the launch vehicle and upper stage, spacecraft propulsion module and radioisotope thermoelectric generators that will provide power for the spacecraft. The Titan IV/Centaur is a U.S. Air Force launch vehicle, and launch operations were managed by the 45th Space Wing KSC-97PC1545

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the lifto...

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launc... More

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. This spectacular streak shot was taken from Hangar AF on Cape Canaveral Air Station, with a solid rocket booster retrieval ship in the foreground. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Station. After a 2.2-billion mile journey that will include two swingbys of Venus and one of Earth to gain additional velocity, the two-story tall spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July 2004. The orbiter will circle the planet for four years, its complement of 12 scientific instruments gathering data about Saturn's atmosphere, rings and magnetosphere and conducting closeup observations of the Saturnian moons. Huygens, with a separate suite of six science instruments, will separate from Cassini to fly on a ballistic trajectory toward Titan, the only celestial body besides Earth to have an atmosphere rich in nitrogen. Scientists are eager to study further this chemical similarity in hopes of learning more about the origins of our own planet Earth. Huygens will provide the first direct sampling of Titan's atmospheric chemistry and the first detailed photographs of its surface. The Cassini mission is an international effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. contribution to the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. The major U.S. contractor is Lockheed Martin, which provided the launch vehicle and upper stage, spacecraft propulsion module and radioisotope thermoelectric generators that will provide power for the spacecraft. The Titan IV/Centaur is a U.S. Air Force launch vehicle, and launch operations were managed by the 45th Space Wing KSC-97PC1543

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the lifto...

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. This spectacular streak shot was taken from Hangar AF... More

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Station. After a 2.2-billion mile journey that will include two swingbys of Venus and one of Earth to gain additional velocity, the two-story tall spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July 2004. The orbiter will circle the planet for four years, its complement of 12 scientific instruments gathering data about Saturn's atmosphere, rings and magnetosphere and conducting closeup observations of the Saturnian moons. Huygens, with a separate suite of six science instruments, will separate from Cassini to fly on a ballistic trajectory toward Titan, the only celestial body besides Earth to have an atmosphere rich in nitrogen. Scientists are eager to study further this chemical similarity in hopes of learning more about the origins of our own planet Earth. Huygens will provide the first direct sampling of Titan's atmospheric chemistry and the first detailed photographs of its surface. The Cassini mission is an international effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. contribution to the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. The major U.S. contractor is Lockheed Martin, which provided the launch vehicle and upper stage, spacecraft propulsion module and radioisotope thermoelectric generators that will provide power for the spacecraft. The Titan IV/Centaur is a U.S. Air Force launch vehicle, and launch operations were managed by the 45th Space Wing KSC-97PC1544

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the lifto...

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launc... More

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launch Complex 40 on Cape Canaveral Air Station. After a 2.2-billion mile journey that will include two swingbys of Venus and one of Earth to gain additional velocity, the two-story tall spacecraft will arrive at Saturn in July 2004. The orbiter will circle the planet for four years, its complement of 12 scientific instruments gathering data about Saturn's atmosphere, rings and magnetosphere and conducting closeup observations of the Saturnian moons. Huygens, with a separate suite of six science instruments, will separate from Cassini to fly on a ballistic trajectory toward Titan, the only celestial body besides Earth to have an atmosphere rich in nitrogen. Scientists are eager to study further this chemical similarity in hopes of learning more about the origins of our own planet Earth. Huygens will provide the first direct sampling of Titan's atmospheric chemistry and the first detailed photographs of its surface. The Cassini mission is an international effort involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI). The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. contribution to the mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. The major U.S. contractor is Lockheed Martin, which provided the launch vehicle and upper stage, spacecraft propulsion module and radioisotope thermoelectric generators that will provide power for the spacecraft. The Titan IV/Centaur is a U.S. Air Force launch vehicle, and launch operations were managed by the 45th Space Wing KSC-97PC1547

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the lifto...

A seven-year journey to the ringed planet Saturn begins with the liftoff of a Titan IVB/Centaur carrying the Cassini orbiter and its attached Huygens probe. Launch occurred at 4:43 a.m. EDT, Oct. 15, from Launc... More

Family Portrait of Jupiter Great Red Spot and the Galilean Satellites

Family Portrait of Jupiter Great Red Spot and the Galilean Satellites

This "family portrait," a composite of the Jovian system, includes the edge of Jupiter with its Great Red Spot, and Jupiter's four largest moons, known as the Galilean satellites. From top to bottom, the moons ... More

The Galilean Satellites, NASA / JPL Europa Image

The Galilean Satellites, NASA / JPL Europa Image

This composite includes the four largest moons of Jupiter which are known as the Galilean satellites. From left to right, the moons shown are Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa. The Galilean satellites were fir... More

The Galilean Satellites, NASA / JPL Europa Image

The Galilean Satellites, NASA / JPL Europa Image

In this "family portrait," the four Galilean Satellites are shown to scale. These four largest moons of Jupiter shown in increasing distance from Jupiter are (left to right) Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. ... More

Saturn and 4 Icy Moons, Enhanced Color

Saturn and 4 Icy Moons, Enhanced Color

Saturn and 4 Icy Moons, Enhanced Color http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00349 NASA/JPL/USGS

Saturn and 4 Icy Moons in Natural Color

Saturn and 4 Icy Moons in Natural Color

This approximate natural-color image shows Saturn, its rings, and four of its icy satellites. Three satellites (Tethys, Dione, and Rhea) are visible against the darkness of space, and another smaller satellite ... More

Moons Around Saturn - Hubble space telescope images

Moons Around Saturn - Hubble space telescope images

Moons Around Saturn NASA/JPL/STScI Public domain photograph of NASA experimental aircraft development, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Hubble Observes the Moons and Rings of Uranus

Hubble Observes the Moons and Rings of Uranus

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope image of the planet Uranus reveals the planet rings, at least five of the inner moons, and bright clouds in the planet southern hemisphere. NASA/JPL/STScI

Uranus Rings and Two Moons. NASA public domain image colelction.

Uranus Rings and Two Moons. NASA public domain image colelction.

Voyager 2 has discovered two hepherd satellites associated with the rings of Uranus. The two moons, designated 1986U7 and 1986U8, are seen here on either side of the bright epsilon ring; all nine of the known U... More

Groovy Rings and Moons - NASA Saturn images

Groovy Rings and Moons - NASA Saturn images

Groovy Rings and Moons NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Rings and Moons - NASA Saturn images

Rings and Moons - NASA Saturn images

Rings and Moons NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Public domain photograph of a solar system, planet, space exploration, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Reporters (bottom) take notes during an informal briefing concerning NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, launched aboard an Air Force Titan IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Oct. 15, 1997. Cassini launch team members seen here discussed the challenge and experience of preparing Cassini for launch, integrating it with the Titan IV rocket and the countdown events of launch day. Facing the camera (from left) are Ron Gillett, NASA Safety and Lead Federal Agency official; Omar Baez, mechanical and propulsion systems engineer; Ray Lugo, NASA launch manager; Chuck Dovale, chief, Avionics Branch; George Haddad, Integration and Ground Systems mechanical engineer; and Ken Carr, Cassini assistant launch site support manager. Approximately 10:36 p.m. EDT, June 30, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft will arrive at Saturn. After nearly a seven-year journey, it will be the first mission to orbit Saturn. The international cooperative mission plans a four-year tour of Saturn, its rings, icy moons, magnetosphere, and Titan, the planet’s largest moon. KSC-04pd1335

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Reporters (bottom) take notes during an ...

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Reporters (bottom) take notes during an informal briefing concerning NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, launched aboard an Air Force Titan IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station O... More

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