In an interesting coincidence, today marks the 1 year anniversary of Cassini’s Grand Finale – its final plunge into the atmosphere of Saturn, the planet it spent its life studying.
It was one hell of an event – after being in space for nearly 20 years (originally launched in 1997 on a Titan IV) and spending 13 years observing Saturn, the probe was sent in early 2017 on a final orbital course which would result in it entering the atmosphere of Saturn to be destroyed – a safety precaution so the probe could stand no chance of contaminating one of Saturns moons with organic material.
This also allowed us to sample the atmosphere of Saturn directly, a rare an amazing opportunity in its own right.
I won’t go on and on about Cassini – I’ve already done that. Instead, I’ll share these tweets regarding the anniversary. I do have a video which I failed to share last year related to the end of the mission, so if I can find that I’ll share it as well in a future article.
For now, enjoy this look back on the wonderful Cassini mission!
One year ago today, #Cassini’s journey to #Saturn came to an end in a #GrandFinale https://t.co/TSA7uQe4KS #SaturnSaturday #NASA60th pic.twitter.com/4UwXJIS3oW
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
⚡️ “Cassini's Grand Finale” One year ago today, Cassini's journey to Saturn came to an end in a Grand Finale. https://t.co/TSA7uQe4KS #SaturnSaturday #Cassini #GrandFinale #Saturn #NASA60thhttps://t.co/lnPOrXGgI1
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
Cassini’s time at Saturn has ended. The science? The discoveries? There’s so much more to come… Follow @NASASolarSystem to ride along to wherever the adventure leads us next. #Cassini #GrandFinale #NASA60th pic.twitter.com/QKQ03b3Ocy
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
Even now, #CassiniInspires. How has it inspired you? https://t.co/F2Pbv5HcMZ #Cassini #GrandFinale pic.twitter.com/v8h6f6MZeE
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
See some of the top images and discoveries that will form Cassini’s legacy: https://t.co/AOxtTlmZfj #Cassini #GrandFinale pic.twitter.com/4o1ULQoKIu
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
Parting glance: the final images that the spacecraft sent home from Saturn https://t.co/h01rZn8mvY #Cassini #GrandFinale pic.twitter.com/jKD1NJLrfs
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
Remember Cassini! Commemorate the mission with our downloadable retro posters: https://t.co/VI7c1O6VyQ | https://t.co/54AJ9jtogQ | https://t.co/d9BUlzndhl #Cassini #GrandFinale pic.twitter.com/cKYpGgXYPC
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
This graphic summarizes Cassini's 13 years orbiting Saturn https://t.co/i5h4fbcLsR #Cassini #GrandFinale pic.twitter.com/fcpLGyrbOh
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018
By the numbers: A snapshot of some of the impressive statistics that Cassini amassed during its 20-year mission https://t.co/8jhfwsC9vg #Cassini #GrandFinale pic.twitter.com/TFrNSvB5dY
— NASA Solar System (@NASASolarSystem) September 15, 2018