ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************
After a 7-year journey, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, carrying ESA's
Huygens probe, is due to arrive at Saturn on June 30 (PDT). The
first encounter, with the outermost moon Phoebe, is this week: June
11!
Many of you partnered with us for the Mars Exploration Rover
missions; we are extending the same invitation for Cassini and other
upcoming events in solar system exploration. We send you regular
updates on schedules, events, and mission news; hold regular telecons
for you to talk with mission and science personnel; and send A/V
material both electronically and via DVDs. And if you (or your
audiences) have questions we can't answer, we'll find someone who can.
If your organization is not already a partner in the Museum Alliance,
please signup at http://marsdata1.jpl.nasa.gov/muse/alliance/ If you
do not know your IP address, http://whatismyip.com will tell you.
A near-term schedule of upcoming mission events follows in Universal
Time (basically Greenwich time) unless otherwise noted:
June 11, 2004: Flyby of Phoebe at about 2,100 kilometers. Images
received on Earth on June 12 (Saturday). (Voyager 2's best images of
Phoebe were from 2.2 million kilometers!)
July 1, 2004: Saturn orbit insertion. There will be live commentary
from mission control on NASA TV. We also hope to supply a simulation
animation of the hours before and after orbit insertion. Main
engine burn begins at spacecraft-event time of 01:02 Universal Time
(6:02 p.m. June 30 Pacific Daylight Time). Burn lasts about 97
minutes ending near closest approach to Saturn. Then the antenna
points earthward for a quick call home to confirm the burn and new
trajectory. Then the spacecraft turns for scientific observations for
about 74 minutes. Then it points the antenna earthward again to
transmit data from those observations. One-way light time is about
90 minutes. Images will not arrive on Earth until the next morning
and are expected to be released at 10 a.m. PDT July 1.
October 26, 2004: Flyby of Titan at about 1,200 kilometers.
Observations may include radar and infrared imaging of surface
details, plus information about winds.
December 13, 2004: Flyby of Titan at about 2,350 kilometers.
Observations may include additional surface imaging and wind
information.
December 15, 2004: Flyby of Dione at about 84,000 kilometers.
December 24, 2004: Release of Huygens probe.
January 1, 2005: Orbiter flyby of Iapetus at about 64,000 kilometers.
January 14, 2005: Descent of Huygens probe onto Titan, lasting about
two and one-half hours. A signal received about two hours later
should confirm that data has been collected. Orbiter flyby of Titan
at about 60,000 kilometers.
The public website is http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions,
--Anita Sohus
--
Anita M. Sohus
Lead, Informal Education
NASA-Jet Propulsion Laboratory
4800 Oak Grove Drive, M.S. 311-100
Pasadena, CA 91109
818-354-6613
[log in to unmask]
***********************************************************************
More information about the Informal Science Education Network and the
Association of Science-Technology Centers may be found at http://www.astc.org.
To remove your e-mail address from the ISEN-ASTC-L list, send the
message SIGNOFF ISEN-ASTC-L in the BODY of a message to
[log in to unmask]
|
