Cassini-Huygens Mission to Saturn Overview

Cassini-Huygens Mission to SaturnOverviewQuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressorare needed to see this picture.JPL OverviewNASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, managed by the California Institute of Technology, is the world leader in robotic exploration of the solar system. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.govMission OverviewHuygens and CassiniThe Scientists and the MachinesChristiaan Huygens Giovanni Domenico Cassini (1629-1695) Dutch (1625-1712), Italo-French scientist, who astronomer, who discovered discovered the true several of Saturn’s satellites: nature of Saturn’s Iapetus, Rhea, Tethys and rings, and in 1655, Dione. In 1675, he Titandiscovered what is today called “Cassini Division” the gap in-between the two main rings of SaturnCassini Orbiter & Huygens ProbeLaunched on October 15, 1997 from KSCQuickTime™ and aYUV420 codec decompressorare needed to see this picture.7 year cruise on VVEJGA trajectoryCassini SpacecraftCassini Spacecraft Specs• Height: 6.8 m (22 ft)• Diameter: 4 m (13 ft)• Mass: 2125 kg (2.8 tons)(fueled+probe): 5700 kg (6 tons)• Power: 700 Watts at SOI• .5 GB recorder• Huygens Probe:320 kg (~700 lbs)Cassini Instruments:Optical Remote Sensing (ORS)Magnetospherie and Plasma Science (MAPS)CIRS: Composite Infrared SpectrometerCDA: Cosmic Dust AnalyzerISS: Imaging Science SubsystemINMS: Ion and Neutral Mass SpectrometerUVIS: Ultraviolet Imaging SpectrographMAG: Dual Technique MagnetometerVIMS: Visual and Infrared mapping SpectrometerMIMI: Magnetospheric Imaging InstrumentRPWS: Radio and Plasma Wave ScienceMicrowave Remote SensingRADAR: Cassini RadarRSS: Radio Science SubsystemCost• Cassini total cost $3 billion– $2.5 B NASA for Cassini, $0.5 B ESA for Huygens– Spread over ~20 y -> $150 M/y– Cassini 0.5% of NASA annual budget ($16.8 B)• NASA annual budget $16.8 B– 1.7% of U.S. discretionary spending ($982 B)– 0.6% total U.S. budget ($2800 B)