Cassini’s Grand Finale at Saturn – Bonnie Meinke, Space Telescope Science Institute
Since 2004, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has been orbiting Saturn making amazing discoveries about the planet’s swirling storms, menagerie of moons, and radical ring system. The Cassini mission recently ended on September 15, 2017 when the spacecraft dove into the cloud tops of Saturn; leaving behind a wake of scientists’ tears and hopeful predictions for the future of planetary science. Many of the lessons of Saturn can be applied elsewhere in our solar system and to worlds around other stars, including giant planet weather patterns, moon construction, and potential habitable environments. Dr. Meinke will strive to condense this historic 13 year voyage into 45 minutes as she celebrates the highlights of a mission that changed our understanding of the solar system.
Host: Dr. Frank Summers
Recorded live on October 3, 2017 at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD, USA
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