NASA's Cassini spacecraft will make 22 orbits of Saturn during its Grand Finale, exploring a totally new region between the planet and its rings. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
(NASA) NASA to Preview ‘Grand Finale’ of Cassini Saturn Mission
NASA will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, April 4, at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, to preview the beginning of Cassini's final mission segment, known as the Grand Finale, which begins in late April. The briefing will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.
Cassini has been orbiting Saturn since June 2004, studying the planet, its rings and its moons. A final close flyby of Saturn's moon Titan on April 22 will reshape the Cassini spacecraft's orbit so that it begins its final series of 22 weekly dives through the unexplored gap between the planet and its rings. The first of these dives is planned for April 26. Following these closer-than-ever encounters with the giant planet, Cassini will make a mission-ending plunge into Saturn's upper atmosphere on Sept. 15.
The panelists for the briefing are:
Jim Green, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s headquarters in Washington
Earl Maize, Cassini project manager at JPL
Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at JPL
Joan Stupik, Cassini guidance and control engineer at JPL
Media who would like to attend the event at JPL must arrange access in advance (...)
Media and the public also may ask questions during the briefing on Twitter using the hashtag #askNASA.
