The Cassini spacecraft, launched to Saturn in 1997, is celebrating ten years studying the ringed planet, as NASA officials plan for the end of the mission.
Cassini arrived at Saturn in 2004, accompanied by the Huygens lander, destined for that system's largest moon, Titan.
The Cassini Grand Finale is the title chosen for the final leg of the mission. The name was chosen with input from over 2,000 members of the general public. Originally, mission managers had dubbed the finale "the proximal orbits," but decided a catchier name could be more fitting to what could be a dramatic phase of the mission.
"We chose a name for this mission phase that would reflect the exciting journey ahead while acknowledging that it's a big finish for what has been a truly great show," Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said.
Cassini will race through a gap near the middle of the rings, and climb high above the north pole of Saturn. Then, the spacecraft will plummet down near the giant planet between its inside ring. During the Cassini Grand Finale, the vehicle will carefully study Enceladus, a satellite with intriguing active geysers, spewing water high above the surface.
Enceladus is the sixth-largest moon in the Saturnian system. The worldlet was first discovered in 1789 by astronomer William Herschel. The moon, orbiting around Saturn once every 33 hours, was first carefully examined by researchers in 1980 and 1981, during visits by the Voyager spacecraft.
Complex organic materials have been found within the icy eruptions from Enceladus. There is no proof yet that any of these materials are alive, but they do provide evidence of large quantities of carbon, the basis of all life on Earth. The satellite is also constantly warmed by tidal forces from Saturn, and the combination of carbon, liquid water and heat makes Enceladus a prime candidate world on which we may find primitive life.
Cassini will run between Saturn and its inner-most ring 22 times before the end of the planned mission.
"By having a decade there with Cassini, we have been privileged to witness never-before-seen events that are changing our understanding of how planetary systems form and what conditions might lead to habitats for life," Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at JPL, said.
Jet Propulsion Laboratory created an infographic showing the accomplishments of the Cassini orbiter after a decade at the ringed planet. These include the discovery of seven moons, more than 332,000 images taken and over 3,000 papers written based on its data.
If Cassini were to discover primitive life on Encealdus in its final days, it would be the crowning achievement of one of the most successful missions in history.
