Farewell Cassini

One of Saturn's moons above its rings against star-lit space.
If you like science and dream of exploring the stars or going into space one day, then you are probably aware of the Cassini mission. The probe recently took its last photo just as it entered the Venus atmosphere, but before the camera faded to black it took many beautiful photos.

If you are not science buff, "Cassini-Huygens is one of the most ambitious missions NASA ever launched into space. Loaded with an array of powerful instruments and cameras, the spacecraft is capable of taking accurate measurements and detailed images in a variety of atmospheric conditions and light spectra."

Cassini reached Saturn in July 2004 and has been dubbed one of the most successful of NASA's many missions. It's "scripted death dive" occurred on September 15, 2017.

What are some of the missions biggest discoveries?

One of its moons, Enceladus, shows evidence of water-based ice and a subsurface ocean leading to speculation about the presence of life.

Another moon, Titan, has earth-like rain, rivers, lakes and seas - although it is liquid methane, not water. I wonder what kind of being would live on a methane planet?

The rings are a laboratory for how planets are formed, colliding and separating. Scientists even think they witnessed the birth of a new moon.

But it's the pictures - those close up and personal pictures of a planet in our solar system that attract a lot of attention. They are just beautiful.

Do you want to visit another planet someday? Have you visited the planetarium on campus? Do you think people will be living on other planets in your lifetime?

Comments

  1. I want to visit Neptune because it rains diamonds. No, I haven't visited the planetarium. No people in my lifetime won't be able to visit another planet because they don't take care of ours.

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  2. I would want to visit Mars because of the common thought of there being aliens on Mars. I would want to set it straight and find out if it is true or not. I have not visited the planetarium on campus and did not know we had one. I believe that the one day we will be able to live life on another planet because of technology and advances in society.

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  3. I would want to visit mars or one of Jupiter's moons because they seem less dangerous then other planets out there. I have not visited the planetarium because I did not know we had one. It possible that in my life time people will be able to visit other planets and begin to terraform maybe but i doubt people will be living on them.

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  5. Mursal Mousumi

    I would love to visit the moon and Mars because those are the 2 planets I could walk on. I dream of flying so zero gravity would be an amazing experience. I haven't visited the planetarium on campus but I would love to! I don't believe that we will live on a different planet in my lifetime because there's way too many mysteries and complications to live in a different atmosphere. Also, Earth is going to be safe to live on for a long time so there's no rush.

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  6. I think it would be really cool being able to visit another planet. I think going to visit an unknown planet out of our solar system would be a marvelous experience. I have visited the planetarium because I took an astronomy class here at DVC and it was pretty cool being able to see the whole solar system up close. I think we are going to mars soon but I think people will be living there after my life time because there is still some unknown elements on mars that we need to figure out before we start colonizing mars.

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  7. I would love to be able to visit another planet someday. I have not visited the planetarium on campus. I believe that we will be able to send people to mars and maybe other planets during our lifetime. However, not exactly to live there, but just to examine the planet's atmosphere and composition. I believe that our world today is way too divided for us to be able to work objectively and cooperatively to fund more space operations. But I do sure hope that within my lifetime, space travel within our solar system or even more so around our galaxy is of the ordinary.

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  8. Do I want to visit another planet someday. No thanks, visiting (ANOTHER) planet makes it sound like your asking whether or not we want to go to another planet else where other than our solar system. The nearest planet is Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light years from our sun. It would take around 80 years to reach it with the technology we have, I would probably decline the invitation.
    I have visited the planetarium on campus and was very disappointed that DVC cant afford, supposedly, to fix the telescope we have for a cheap 120,000. I'm sure DVC makes that money on parking tickets in a month.
    Their will be some sort of colonization of mars. Unless you have a lot of money however, I doubt the average person will be going.

    PS. In the first paragraph you said Cassini entered Venus atmosphere, amateur mistake.

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  9. I would like to visit another planet someday, and what makes me more excited about it is to see the stars more up close. I always wanted to visit the planetarium on campus and was planning to take an astronomy class as well. I believe there are living organism out there but I’m not really sure it is ‘human’, for human to live on another planet it need a very advance technology. Maybe in our lifetime people would be able to visit another planet to observe it first hand but not actually live there there

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  10. Since I was a child, I've always been interested in space because of how vast it is and how much we don't know. Although the thought of visiting other planets sparks an excitement that reminds me of my childhood years, visiting another planet has many complications regarding health issues. It seems like I want to be in space the same amount I want to continue living on earth. I know of many people that'd rather take the latter though. I don't know if humans will be living on other planets in my lifetime, but it will happen. I'm sure of it.

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  11. Areej Abed
    Growing up I always wondered what it would be like to travel to another planet. I used to ask myself, "Is there another living creature that exists on its own on Mars?" The concept of no one not really having an exact answer makes me extremely curious. IF someone asked me if I would want to travel to another planet, I would most definitely say YES! I think it would be super cool to experience what its like on another atmosphere. Of course I would consider the precautions, but I would agree to it. Also, I have yet to explore the planetarium on campus, but will do so very soon. Lastly, I do feel like eventually people will live on other planets however, I do not think in my lifetime.

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  13. I find it cool and amazing how there is planets similar to earth, but with deadly elements. Viewing pictures of the planets make me excited to want to travel to another planet. I would primarily want to travel to a different planet to see if there is extraterrestrial life. I want to know if we are the only living things in the galaxy. Yet at the same time I am hesitant because, first of all it would take too long to get to a different planet. By the time I would get there I would probably be old or dead. I believe that humans will live in a different, but I will probably not be alive to experience that.

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  14. Ever since I was younger, people always said there is too many people on hearth and we might over populate. When I started hearing this, I thought, "why don't we just go to some other planet and live there?" well the answer is pretty clear now, we don't what to die. If there were any way to go to another planet and not die, I probably wouldn't go for a few years until they were all settled and everything was built like on earth. The only reason I would wait is because I'm used to having everything already, I don't want to go somewhere where i have to possibly go hunting for my food and i have to farm to get fruits and vegetables. I haven't visited the planetarium because I didn't even know we had one. lastly, I do believe we'll have people living on other planets but not anytime soon because we aren't advanced enough in technology to be able to send people into space without astronaut suits.

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  16. I was always interested whenever I thought about other planets because it is weird to think that there maybe another species other than human. I would want to travel to another if human life is allowed on another planet since I would not want to wear a suit for the rest of my life. It will be great if another planet is inhabitable because if we destroy this one we can move to next planet.Also, interested in seeing extraterrestial in another planet if they really do exist. I have not been to the planeterium but I am interested in going. Lastly, I owuld love to go to another planet however, I do not know if we will being going in my lifetime. Elon Musk is trying to brings many humans to another planet. But it is very expensive so I do not know if I will be able to afford the cost of a ticket. It will be fascinating to see all the innovations in the future in order to go to another planet.

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  17. I hope that I can visit Moon if I have this ability because I can see the moon every night notter I am sad, happy or empty. The moon always accompany me, and it is bright at night. It is like leading me to home, shine the road for me. On the other hand, there is an China's tradition. Which is Chang'e is living in the moon, and she will show up when mid autumn festival. Chang'e is a godness of China's tradition, and she means mid autumn festival. Mid autumn festival is one of the important festival becase people would go home have a family reunion dinner no matter how busy they are. So I would like to have a look of this amazing plant to solve my curious.

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  18. I have no intentions of leaving Earth in my lifetime but that does not stop me from being very fascinated with space exploration and discoveries. It's amazing to think that the only other rocky bodies in the solar system that have water other than Earth is not other planets, but rather on the moons of Saturn. It would be amazing to witness a maned mission to one of these moons in my life time but to be honest I don't think it will be too likely. At the rate the manned mission to Mars i going it looks like its not going to take place for another ten to twenty years. so util that day comes that man visits Saturn's system of moons, we will just have to be satisfied with the multiple beautiful pictures gotten from this mission.

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  19. I definitely do want to visit another planet someday. It is such a coincidence because recently i have been talking to my brother and my friends about life existing beyond earth. Reading this, I did not even know that another planet had 'earth' (rain, rivers, land, etc). I think that planet sounds so beautiful and I would love to visit any planet. I have never been to the planetarium on campus- I will check it out though! I think the planetarium should be better promoted on campus. In my lifetime, no, I do not believe that there will be people living on other planets. I am shocked by our progression with self-driving cars! However, if people were to live on other planets, it will be far into the future.

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  20. I would love to visit another planet, but that would be just a dream. I do not know if i would actually go through with it. I have not visited the planetarium on campus, but when I have extra time I will have to stop by. I believe some sort of being will be living on another planet but It wont be a human being. I do not think any other planet would be able to keep humans alive for so long like earth has.

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