Cassini Spacecraft's Last Dive into Saturn

[Yazata]

After having been launched in the 1990's and arriving at Saturn in 2003, where it released the European Space Agency's Huygens Titan Lander, the Cassini Spacecraft has reached the end of the line. It didn't carry a fuel gauge, but calculations showed that it was just about out of control thruster fuel. So the loyal robot spacecraft was directed to aim itself in a final dive into Saturn's atmosphere, hoping to beam data about conditions back as long as the spacecraft's antenna could remain pointed at Earth. Its X-band signal flatlined, then its S-band signal flatlined 7 seconds later, briefly coming back up for an instant as the vehicle yawed so that a side radio propagation lobe lobe was pointed at us... then it too was gone.

People at JPL are sad, since many of them have spent their careers caring for this thing. It's like losing a loved one.

http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lak...light.html

https://www.space.com/38169-cassini-satu...tions.html

[C C]

Adios, old friend. Silent salute.