Facts about Cassini Mission

1. 07

   Saturn's magnetosphere proved far more dynamic than expected when Cassini measured its rotation rate changing by 26 minutes over the 13-year mission, complicating estimates of the planet's interior structure.

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2. 06

   Over 400 billion kilometers traveled by Cassini allowed scientists to measure Saturn's wind speeds exceeding 1,800 kilometers per hour in the planet's upper atmosphere.

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3. 05

   Cassini's instruments detected complex organic molecules in the icy plumes erupting from Enceladus, suggesting the moon's subsurface ocean could support microbial life.

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4. 04

   Titan, Saturn's largest moon, was thoroughly studied by Cassini's Huygens probe, which landed on its surface in 2005 and discovered liquid methane lakes near its polar regions.

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5. 03

   On September 15, 2017, Cassini deliberately plunged into Saturn's atmosphere after 13 years of exploration, transmitting final data before being destroyed by extreme pressure and heat.

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6. 02

   Enceladus, one of Saturn's 62 moons discovered during the Cassini Mission, revealed a subsurface ocean with more water than all Earth's oceans combined.

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7. 01

   Between 2004 and 2017, the Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn 294 times while transmitting unprecedented high-resolution images of the planet's rings and moons.

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