Thursday 1 July 2004

Cassini-Huygens

Cassini-Huygens Orbital PathNo, it's not the name of some Merchant Bank, nor of some peculiar and rare tropical disease. It's the robot spacecraft that's currently exploring Saturn.

File this one under Canberra.

From the ABC :
History has been made at the Tidbinbilla Tracking Station outside Canberra, with the Cassini spacecraft successfully passing through Saturn's rings and now decelerating into orbit.

A small crowd at the tracking station watched via satellite as NASA technicians high-fived and cheered the mission's success.

It has been a seven-year journey to reach Saturn and Tidbinbilla played a crucial role.

Its scientists and engineers have controlled all communications with the Cassini space-craft via its three main dishes.

Glen Nagle from the tracking station describes the craft as about the size of a school bus jam-packed with gear that will provide a real insight into deep space.
Congrats to all those in the Canberra Tracking Station, I might just pop in the car and say so personally.

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