The Cassini Spacecraft

The Cassini spacecraft was launched on October 15, 1997 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station using a U.S. Air Force Titan IVB/Centaur launch vehicle. The launch vehicle consisted of a twostage Titan IV booster rocket, two strapon solid rocket motors, the Centaur upper stage, and a payload enclosure or fairing. The complete Cassini flight system included the launch vehicle and the spacecraft, and the spacecraft, in turn, is composed of the orbiter and the Huygens probe. Such a space mission develops from a set of scientific goals, and in this case, science hopes to gain a better understanding of the planet Saturn, its famous rings, its magnetosphere, its principal moon Titan, and its other moons or "icy satellites." There may also be many other benefits, including technology spinoffs, international cooperation, and educational motivation for people of all ages ("The Spacecraft," 1995).

This spacecraft, including the orbiter and the Huygens probe, is one of the largest, heaviest, and most complex interplanetary spacecraft ever built. The orbiter alone weighs 2,150 kilograms (4,750 pounds), and when the 350kilogram Huygens probe, launch vehicle adapter, and 3,132 kilograms (6,905 pounds) of propellants were added, the spacecraft weighed about 5,600 kilograms (12,346 pounds) at launch. The Cassini spacecraft stood more than 6.8 meters (22.3 feet) high and was more than 4 meters (13.1 feet) wide. The spacecraft was as complex as it was because of requirements of it

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ocess and deliver the data to the orbiter, from which it will be transmitted or "downlinked" to earth. The probe remains dormant throughout the 6.7year interplanetary cruise, except for biannual health checks which follow preprogrammed descent scenario sequences as closely as possible, relaying the results to Earth for analysis by system and payload experts. Before the probe is separated from the orbiter, a final health check will be performed, and the "coast" timer will be loaded with the precise time necessary to turn on the probe systems (15 minutes before the encounter with Titan's atmosphere). The probe will then separate from the orbiter and coast to Titan for 22 days with no systems active except for its wakeup timer. The main mission phase occurs with the parachute descent through Titan's atmosphere. The probe's radio link will be activated early in the descent phase as the orbiter "listens" to the probe for the next 3 hours, which includes the descent plus 30 minutes after impact. Soon after, Cassini's highgain antenna (HGA) will be turned away from Titan and toward Earth ("Huygens Probe," 1995). The probe system consists of a number of engineering subsystems. The Huygens payload includes a complement of

Category: Science - T