Archivo: Successful Flight Through Enceladus Plume

Descripción: The Cassini spacecraft has weathered the flyby of Saturn’s moon Enceladus in good health and has been sending images and data of the encounter back to Earth. Cassini had approached Enceladus more closely before, but this passage took the spacecraft on its deepest plunge yet through the heart of the plume shooting out from the south polar region. Scientists are eagerly sifting through the results. In this unprocessed image, sunlight brightens a crescent curve along the edge of Saturn's moon Enceladus and highlights its misty plume. The image was captured by Cassini's narrow-angle camera as the spacecraft passed about 190,000 kilometres over the moon. This image has not been validated or calibrated. At its closest point Cassini flew about 100 kilometres above the surface of Enceladus. Since the discovery of the plume in 2005, scientists have been captivated by the enigmatic jets. Previous flybys detected water vapour, sodium and organic molecules, but scientists need to know more about the plume’s composition and density to characterize the source, possibly a liquid ocean under the moon’s icy surface. It would also help them determine whether Enceladus has the conditions necessary for life. Mission managers did extensive studies to make sure the spacecraft could fly safely through the plumes and not use an excessive amount of propellant.
Título: Successful Flight Through Enceladus Plume
Créditos: NASA Image of the Day
Autor(a): NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute
Términos de Uso: Dominio Público
Licencia: Dominio Público
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