Cassini space craft less than 50 km from Enceladus

[geolindon]

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/cassini-begins-series-of-flybys-with-close-up-of-saturn-moon-enceladus

From NASA; 'a flyby of Enceladus on Wednesday, Oct. 28, during which Cassini will come dizzyingly close to the icy moon, passing a mere 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region. During this encounter, Cassini will make its deepest-ever dive through the moon's plume of icy spray, collecting images and valuable data about what's going on beneath the frozen surface. Cassini scientists are hopeful data from that flyby will provide evidence of how much hydrothermal activity is occurring in the moon's ocean, and how the amount of activity impacts the habitability of Enceladus’ ocean.'

[rustigsmed]

thanks for posting Lindon, can't wait!

[Ric]

There should be some awesome images coming out of that flyby.

I'm looking forward to seeing them.

[geolindon]

I am hoping they find some LGM P ;)

[DarkArts]

Or LGW, even. ;)

[rustigsmed]

nice!

http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/jpl/a-fractured-pole

imaging some crazy views snowboarding over there!

[AussieTrooper]

There's no stars in the background. It's a fake. ;)

There's some nice bowls there to board, just don't let mount buller get the lifts contract, or they'll be charging 1000 space dollars a ride.

[rustigsmed]

:lol::lol: too true re: lift prices. although perhaps you'd only have to jump a few times to get to the top of a mountain / crater again with it's weak gravity and all ... :jump:

[geolindon]

G day DarkArts,
i dunno about LGW P . . . 'cos that would mean they have evolved past the 'rib removal stage' . . . that's pretty advanced :question:

[julianh72]

NASA / JPL video on the fly-by here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ1KowQXc3Y

[pmrid]

I suppose we will have to endure another finger-nail destroying wait to see much in the way of imaging from this flyby. But boy oh boy, won't it be worth it?
Peter

[rustigsmed]

Cassini team are usually pretty quick with pics thankfully, but yep can't wait! :thumbsup:

[pmrid]

NASA's web site quotes 24-48 hrs for first images.
P

[rustigsmed]

yep 1-2 days
http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/deepest-ever-dive-through-enceladus-plume-completed

NASA's Cassini spacecraft successfully completed its close flyby of Saturn's moon Enceladus today, passing 30 miles (49 kilometers) above the moon's south polar region at approximately 8:22 a.m. PDT (11:22 a.m. EDT). Mission controllers established two-way communication with the spacecraft this afternoon and expect it to begin transmitting data from the encounter this evening. Images are anticipated in the next 24 to 48 hours.


The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The Cassini imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado.

[geolindon]

AMAZING!! and now they gunna fly that thing around the poles of Saturn and inside the rings. Pretty good for a 1997 model with billions of kms on the clock :thumbsup:

[rustigsmed]

http://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/saturns-geyser-moon-shines-in-close-flyby-views/

Only seeing them on my phone at the moment need to get to a computer! One extreme close up and some from on the approach :thumbsup: