An RFP was released this week for a Saturn/Cassini-Huygens updateable
planetarium show. Total show length will be approximately 20-30
minutes.  The Cassini/Huygens mission seeks proposals for shows
serving
both the small and rural planetaria community through the mid and
upper
range community.  The initial version of the show is to be ready for
release in 2003 and will highlight the launch, cruise flight, flyby
of
Jupiter, approach to Saturn, and the events that will occur upon
arrival
at Saturn. A second version is planned to be released in mid-2005.

Hello all,

Just a note to let you know of my newsgroups:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/back2moon
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rock1
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rock4
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/rocksix

These groups are dedicated to news releases on exploration and/or
colonization of each moon or planet.

back2moon - Earth's Moon
rock1 - planet Mercury
rock4 - planet Mars
rocksix - planet Saturn

Although you cannot post to these groups if joined you will receive
the latest news stories on the science of exploration and/or
colonization of each Solar System body.

Thank you,

Reynold DeMarco Jr.
http://www.reynolddemarcojr.com

http://skyandtelescope.com/news/current/article_782_1.asp

Just to remind everyone that the Stardust probe will encounter
Comet Wild 2 in January 2004 and should be a nice warmup for cassini.

It seems like we've been waiting forever but there is only 1 year left!

Unfortunately I may not be available to run this group during the time
Cassini reaches Saturn.  If anyone wants to volunteer to take over
this group please send me at email. thanks.

Hi there,
I'm a new member to this group. It was looking a little bare
around here, so I've added a few .mpg's and a few .pdf files.
It's basic stuff, but it's a start. I can't believe this group
isin't full of fans. Perhaps it's early days!!
Enjoy the files. I'm looking forward to this group.
SEANZEDD.

According to the latest sky and telescope, Cassini will fly by the
moon Phoebe on June 11.

Hi!

Matias Nino from Virginia, USA.

I joined up cause I'm so incredibly excited about this historic point
in human history! :)

Is this is only list community to talk about the mission? I have lots
of questions regarding the mission that I can't dig out of the cassini
website.

For example, why do the pictures show as if the probe is approaching
from beneath Saturn? Is this because of the planet's tilt or is the
probe really approaching from below the planet?

Here's hoping that everything goes successful with the orbit insertion!

Happy space travels! :)

-Matias

I need someone to lead this group now. In about 2 weeks I will be
unable to do it myself anymore.  I'll take anyone.

Hi there,
I'm sorry to hear that you can no longer lead this group.
It could, in truth, do with a little more input.

Can you tell what's involved in being a group moderator.
I may just go for it!!

Thanks,
SEAN

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

SEAN,

Thanks for the response! Good stuff! I figured that Saturn must have an extreme
tilt.

I looked around and found a more active group called 'jupiter-list', which
started out as a jupiter list but has basically become an outer planets list.
It's got some good stuff in the files regarding future missions planning and
presentation material and all the recent cassini updates are posted there (as
they should be posted here). I think this cassini list here is going to EXPLODE
once news of the orbit insertion breaks to the mainstream.

I seriously cannot contain my excitement about this mission. I remember back in
93 being in high school and reading about a future saturn mission with a titan
lander and I was blown away at the prospect. After all these years of
anticipation, I find myself nearly jumping out of my seat every time a critical
trajectory manuever is sucessful. I seriously think my head will explode when
the orbit insertion happens (hopefully successfully!).

For now, this Phoebe encounter sounds very interesting. I'm DYING to see what it
looks like!

-Matías



> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEAN [mailto:seanzedd@...]
> Sent: Sunday, May 30, 2004 9:19 AM
> To: cassinihuygens@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Cassini Huygens] Re: New to the list
>
> Dear Matius,
> It's good to see you have joined.
> I thought this group would be packed with fans, but I
> understand the moderator is having some difficulties right
> now. Also, it's perhaps early days yet. I would expect that
> the closer we get, the more members we will have.
>
> With regard your your question, you are right to assume that
> the reason we appear to be approaching Saturn from below is
> due to the fact that Saturn orbits on it's back. We don't
> know for sure, but it's likely that Saturn was hit by another
> body. That impact flipped the planet over and the body that
> crashed into it blew apart and spread out to form the ring system.
>
> If you go to the files area of the group, you will find a
> short video called trajectory.mpg. This shows the exact flight path.
> There is also a .PDF file which contains a lot more information.
>
> SEAN.
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=129ukcoqp/M=295196.4901138.6071305.30
> 01176/D=groups/S=1705083547:HM/EXP=1086009611/A=2128215/R=0/SI
> G=10se96mf6/*http://companion.yahoo.com>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=295196.4901138.6071305.30011
> 76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2128215/rand=349426710>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassinihuygens/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Uns
> ubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>

Matias,
Let me say what a pleasure it is to communicate with another Cassini/Huygens
fan.
I agree, this group needs a lot of work. It needs promoting and perhaps some
canvassing to try to attract some experts in the field. I've been following this
mission
since it's birth, and while, like you, I'm hugely excited and enthusiastic about
it all,
I am an amateur and there is a limit to my knowledge. Basically, the potential
for this
group is enormous but we could do with a few "big hitters" for the really tough
questions.

Carolyn Porco is the head of the imaging team at JPL. This woman is a veteran of
the
Voyager epic. It was Carolyn who first discovered that the pattern of spokes in
the Saturn ring system were not random but were caused by the planets magnetic
field. It was Carolyn, along with the late, great, Carl Sagan  who campaigned
against
tough opposition to turn Voyager around, in order to take the wonderful series
of images
that gave us the "Portrait of the planets". I intend to contact her, and
although I would
doubt very much if she could  join our group, I'm hoping to get as much
information as
possible from her. Below is a link to her site, It's well worth a look!!

http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/

SEAN.













[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

SEAN,

Thanks for the link! I think Carolyn is my hero! :) Her updates are great!

Here are some TO-DO's I thought up with regards to this list:

1) Take ownership. Group Moderating is pretty simple and can be done by multiple
people. It might require some periodic attention, especially if spam bots start
joining.

2) Scan other related groups, sites, messageboards and post invites there to
this list.

3) Add more interesting files! :)

4) Regular posting of the following updates:
	 -mission updates
	 -official website updates
	 -image updates
	 -updates from specialist websites
	 -mission insider material (mission personnel presentations, articles,
interviews, etc)
	 -Nasa TV schedules dealing with Cassini

I believe the experts and mission insiders will be less reluctant to join once
more people start joining the list. It's far too small and inactive at this
point to garner any real concern among experts.

-Matías




> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEAN [mailto:seanzedd@...]
> Sent: Monday, May 31, 2004 7:13 AM
> To: cassinihuygens@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Cassini Huygens] Re: New to the list
>
> Matias,
> Let me say what a pleasure it is to communicate with another
> Cassini/Huygens fan.
> I agree, this group needs a lot of work. It needs promoting
> and perhaps some canvassing to try to attract some experts in
> the field. I've been following this mission since it's birth,
> and while, like you, I'm hugely excited and enthusiastic
> about it all, I am an amateur and there is a limit to my
> knowledge. Basically, the potential for this group is
> enormous but we could do with a few "big hitters" for the
> really tough questions.
>
> Carolyn Porco is the head of the imaging team at JPL. This
> woman is a veteran of the Voyager epic. It was Carolyn who
> first discovered that the pattern of spokes in the Saturn
> ring system were not random but were caused by the planets
> magnetic field. It was Carolyn, along with the late, great,
> Carl Sagan  who campaigned against tough opposition to turn
> Voyager around, in order to take the wonderful series of
> images that gave us the "Portrait of the planets". I intend
> to contact her, and although I would doubt very much if she
> could  join our group, I'm hoping to get as much information
> as possible from her. Below is a link to her site, It's well
> worth a look!!
>
> http://ciclops.lpl.arizona.edu/
>
> SEAN.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=1296oom9c/M=295196.4901138.6071305.30
> 01176/D=groups/S=1705083547:HM/EXP=1086088594/A=2128215/R=0/SI
> G=10se96mf6/*http://companion.yahoo.com>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=295196.4901138.6071305.30011
> 76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2128215/rand=741342717>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassinihuygens/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Uns
> ubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>

Matias,
Thanks for your message. Your list is almost exactly what I had
in mind. When I first joined the group, I stuck a few random files
in, just to say hello. I agree, they need to be more interesting,
more organised and there needs to be a lot more of them!!

I've been thinking about what you said about trying to attract
a few experts. Carolyn Porco would be the holy grail of information,
but there are many others out there who know a great deal more I
currently do. It would be good to have them on-board, but perhaps
your right, we should wait 'till we have the group a little better
organised first, and then ask!!

It was never my intention to moderate a group, but as small as this
group currently is, I would hate to see it die. There is no doubt
that we will have many more members in the comming months, and the
opportunity to share information together is, I think, to good to
miss.

Firstly, I need to hear back from the current moderator to make
sure he's happy to give up the job and pass it on. If that happens,
give me 2 weeks to get the files/photos/links/database in order,
then I'll start promoting and knocking on a few expert doors.

We have some truly exciting times ahead!!
SEAN.

Sounds like a good plan, Sean. I'll be eagerly looking forward. :)

-Matías

> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEAN [mailto:seanzedd@...]
> Sent: Monday, May 31, 2004 11:55 AM
> To: cassinihuygens@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Cassini Huygens] GROUP DIRECTION.
>
> Matias,
> Thanks for your message. Your list is almost exactly what I
> had in mind. When I first joined the group, I stuck a few
> random files in, just to say hello. I agree, they need to be
> more interesting, more organised and there needs to be a lot
> more of them!!
>
> I've been thinking about what you said about trying to
> attract a few experts. Carolyn Porco would be the holy grail
> of information, but there are many others out there who know
> a great deal more I currently do. It would be good to have
> them on-board, but perhaps your right, we should wait 'till
> we have the group a little better organised first, and then ask!!
>
> It was never my intention to moderate a group, but as small
> as this group currently is, I would hate to see it die. There
> is no doubt that we will have many more members in the
> comming months, and the opportunity to share information
> together is, I think, to good to miss.
>
> Firstly, I need to hear back from the current moderator to
> make sure he's happy to give up the job and pass it on. If
> that happens, give me 2 weeks to get the
> files/photos/links/database in order, then I'll start
> promoting and knocking on a few expert doors.
>
> We have some truly exciting times ahead!!
> SEAN.
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=129becagl/M=295196.4901138.6071305.30
> 01176/D=groups/S=1705083547:HM/EXP=1086105489/A=2128215/R=0/SI
> G=10se96mf6/*http://companion.yahoo.com>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=295196.4901138.6071305.30011
> 76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2128215/rand=923002047>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassinihuygens/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Uns
> ubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>

Matias,
I've just been looking back over some of the messages and I've
spotted a rather glaring error.You asked why we appeared to be
approaching Saturn from below and I agreed that it was because
of the planet's tilt. However, while this tilt was almost certainly
caused by a large impact, this was not the impact that created
the ring system. The ring system was caused by one, or perhaps
more of the satellites breaking up. This could have happened by
one satellite spiralling in towards the planet, and smashing into
another, or perhaps it sustained a hit from a asteroid. However
it happened, the two events were seperate. I think I implied that
the two events were the same. Perhaps it's all that coffee!!

It's interesting that we think of celestial bodies as being serene
and permanent fixtures. This is mostly, I think, because our lives
are so short in comparison to the life of a planet, that we can never
really see more than a single snapshot of the great cosmic movie.

If we were to return to our solar system in 100 million years,
we would find that the ring system of Saturn is no more. Little
by little it will be eroded away by micro-meteorites or will spiral
into Saturn. By way of compensation, if we were to return in, say,
1 billion years, we would find that the moon Triton had strayed too
close to the planet Neptune, and had broken up to form a ring system
of it's own.

SEAN

Sean,

Ah. I see. I had no idea that Triton might eventually break up to form a full
ring system on Neptune. It would be nice to see a future mission for a Neptune
orbiter/Triton lander. ;)

Are there any clues as to how old the Saturnian ring system is?

I'm eagerly waiting for this Pheobe flyby in 10 days. The prospect that it is
potentially a captured kuiper belt object is hugely intriguing.

Cheers,
Matías



> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEAN [mailto:seanzedd@...]
> Sent: Monday, May 31, 2004 4:30 PM
> To: cassinihuygens@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: [Cassini Huygens] A small correction.
>
> Matias,
> I've just been looking back over some of the messages and
> I've spotted a rather glaring error.You asked why we appeared
> to be approaching Saturn from below and I agreed that it was
> because of the planet's tilt. However, while this tilt was
> almost certainly caused by a large impact, this was not the
> impact that created the ring system. The ring system was
> caused by one, or perhaps more of the satellites breaking up.
> This could have happened by one satellite spiralling in
> towards the planet, and smashing into another, or perhaps it
> sustained a hit from a asteroid. However it happened, the two
> events were seperate. I think I implied that the two events
> were the same. Perhaps it's all that coffee!!
>
> It's interesting that we think of celestial bodies as being
> serene and permanent fixtures. This is mostly, I think,
> because our lives are so short in comparison to the life of a
> planet, that we can never really see more than a single
> snapshot of the great cosmic movie.
>
> If we were to return to our solar system in 100 million
> years, we would find that the ring system of Saturn is no
> more. Little by little it will be eroded away by
> micro-meteorites or will spiral into Saturn. By way of
> compensation, if we were to return in, say,
> 1 billion years, we would find that the moon Triton had
> strayed too close to the planet Neptune, and had broken up to
> form a ring system of it's own.
>
> SEAN
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=12930gcu7/M=295196.4901138.6071305.30
> 01176/D=groups/S=1705083547:HM/EXP=1086121830/A=2128215/R=0/SI
> G=10se96mf6/*http://companion.yahoo.com>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=295196.4901138.6071305.30011
> 76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2128215/rand=836341917>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassinihuygens/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Uns
> ubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>

:



Discovered by William Henry Pickering



(View taken from Voyager2)





Date of discovery 1898

Mass (kg) 4.0e+18

Mass (Earth = 1) 6.6934e-07

Equatorial radius (km) 110

Equatorial radius (Earth = 1) 1.7247e-02

Mean density (gm/cm^3) 0.7

Mean distance from Saturn (km) 12,952,000

Rotational period (days) 0.4

Orbital period (days) -550.48

Mean orbital velocity (km/sec) -1.71

Orbital eccentricity 0.1633

Orbital inclination (degrees) 175.3

Escape velocity (km/sec) 0.0697

Visual geometric albedo 0.06

Magnitude (Vo) 16.45



Phoebe is the last of the known satellites of Saturn, at a distance of 12.952
million kilometres (8 million miles). Phoebe orbits Saturn in a retrograde
direction (opposite to the direction of the other satellites' orbits) in a plane
much closer to the ecliptic than to Saturn's equatorial plane. Voyager 2 found
that Phoebe has a roughly circular shape, and reflects about 6 percent of the
sunlight. It also is quite red. Phoebe rotates on its axis about once every nine
hours. Thus, unlike the other Saturnian satellites (except Hyperion), it does
not always show the same face to the planet.



Scientists believe that Phoebe may be a captured asteroid with a composition
unmodified since the time it was formed in the outer Solar System. It resembles
the common class of dark carbonaceous asteroids. These asteroids are chemically
very primitive and are thought to be composed of original solids that condensed
out of the solar nebula. Since they are so small, they never heated up
sufficiently to change chemical composition. If this is the case, Phoebe is the
first such object that has been photographed at close enough range to show shape
and surface brightness. Phoebe also might be the source of dark material on
Iapetus.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Matias,

<Are there any clues as to how old the Saturnian ring system is?>

I'm afraid you got me there. I had a quick look around the web, but as yet, I
haven't been able to
find a precise answer. I would guess that we are looking at a time period of
aprox 50million years.
In this, I could be wrong, but I'll see what I can do about getting an exact
answer for you.

Roll on Phoebe encounter!
SEAN.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Wow. That's pretty wild if during the time of the dinosaurs on Earth, Saturn had
no rings.

-Matías

> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEAN [mailto:seanzedd@...]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 02, 2004 3:30 PM
> To: cassinihuygens@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Cassini Huygens] A small correction.
>
> Matias,
>
> <Are there any clues as to how old the Saturnian ring system is?>
>
> I'm afraid you got me there. I had a quick look around the
> web, but as yet, I haven't been able to find a precise
> answer. I would guess that we are looking at a time period of
> aprox 50million years.
> In this, I could be wrong, but I'll see what I can do about
> getting an exact answer for you.
>
> Roll on Phoebe encounter!
> SEAN.
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=129itma7f/M=298184.5022502.6152625.30
> 01176/D=groups/S=1705083547:HM/EXP=1086291233/A=2164330/R=0/SI
> G=11eamf8g4/*http://www.netflix.com/Default?mqso=60183350>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=298184.5022502.6152625.30011
> 76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2164330/rand=341911587>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassinihuygens/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Uns
> ubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>

I made SEAN moderator.  He can do everything but delete this group.
Unfortunately  I will only be around for the phoebe encounter.  I
proibably wont make the saturn orbit insertion on july 1.

Cassini Images
May 31 - June 4, 2004

o Saturn's Stripes (Released May 31, 2004)
  
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgibin/gs2.cgi?path=../multimedia/images/saturn/image\
s/PIA05398.jpg&type=image

o Storms and Feathery Clouds (Released June 1, 2004)
  
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgibin/gs2.cgi?path=../multimedia/images/saturn/image\
s/PIA05399.jpg&type=image

o Atmospheric Detail in the Near Infrared (Released June 2, 2004)
  
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgibin/gs2.cgi?path=../multimedia/images/saturn/image\
s/PIA05400.jpg&type=image

o Colorful Saturn, Getting Close (Released June 3, 2004)
  
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgibin/gs2.cgi?path=../multimedia/images/saturn/image\
s/PIA06060.jpg&type=image

o Passage through the Ring Plane (Released June 3, 2004)
  
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgibin/gs2.cgi?path=../multimedia/images/rings/images\
/PIA06061.jpg&type=image

o Two pairs of Storms (Released June 4, 2004)
  
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/cgibin/gs2.cgi?path=../multimedia/images/saturn/image\
s/PIA05401.jpg&type=image

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the
European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of
Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's
office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL designed, developed and
assembled the Cassini orbiter.

For the latest images and more information about the Cassini-Huygens
mission, visit

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov .


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

To all members,
My name is Sean and I've just taken over as group moderator.
Here is my reference;

"I need someone to take over this group, NOW.....
I'll take anybody" - titandust

I have followed the Cassini/Huygens mission since it's birth
and I can hardly contain my excitement for all that is to come
in the future. While I find almost every aspect of this mission
fascinating, my primary interest has got to be the Titan probe.
What will we discover?? For others, the focous will be elsewhere,
perhaps in Saturn itself, in it's amazing and beautiful ring-system
or in the technology that enables us to
get there in the first place.

Please be patient. This groups is small yet, and needs some work.
Over the next few weeks, I'll try to get our files more organised
and up to date. Please feel free to contribute to this process.
In truth, I could do with some help. Any information/files/links
would be much appreciated.

If there is any area of interest that you feel should be included
in this group, then please let me know, and I'll do my best to
include it.

SEAN.

To all members,
'Just to remind you all that a once in a lifetime astronomical
display takes place tomorrow when the planet Venus crosses the
face of the Sun, cutting a left to right diagonal path.

For more information see http://www.transit-of-venus.org.uk/

SEAN.

> SPACE ENTHUSIASTS, CASSINI SCIENTISTS INVITE PUBLIC TO UA ON
> JUNE 19 From Lori Stiles, UA News Services, 520-621-1877
>
> - Sent Monday, June 07, 2004 -
>
> {NEWS EDITORS: See note about video, interviews at end of
> news release}
>
> -------------------------------------------------
> Contact information for scientists  -
>
> Robert H. Brown 520-626-9045  rhb@... Jonathan I.
> Lunine 520-621-2789  jlunine@... Martin G.
> Tomasko 520-6969 mtomasko@... Michael J. Drake
> 520-621-6962  drake@...
>
> LPL media contacts -
>
> Loretta McKibben 520-626-7432  pop@...
> Montine Rummel 520-661-6999    pop@...
> Virginia Smith 520-621-9692         pop@...
> -------------------------------------------------------
>
> After a 7-year, 2.2-billion-mile looping voyage across the
> solar system, the international Cassini mission reaches
> Saturn on June 30.
>
> Cassini promises to run rings around earlier
> spacecraft-Saturn encounters.
> One of the biggest planetary spacecraft ever built, Cassini
> won't just fly by Saturn. It will be the first spacecraft to
> orbit Saturn, sending data from 12 orbiter experiments back
> for at least the next four years. In December, Cassini will
> launch a European-built probe called Huygens toward Saturn's
> largest moon, Titan. The probe carries 6 experiments for
> studying Titan, a truly mysterious world that some scientists
> have worked half their careers to see.
>
> The University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
> (LPL) plays a larger role in the Cassini-Huygens mission than
> any university in the world.
>
> LPL scientists plan Cassini's observations for 45 orbiter
> flybys of Titan, and will process hundreds of Cassini images
> in the UA's Planetary Research Imaging Lab. An LPL scientist
> heads the imaging-spectrometer experiment that will
> photograph Saturn, its moons and rings at different
> wavelengths, from the visible to the infrared. Another LPL
> scientist leads the experiment that will produce the only
> views from the Huygens probe during its 2-hour, 15-minute
> fall to Titan¹s surface. Several other LPL scientists are on
> other mission teams that will guide operations and interpret
> discoveries from the prolonged, exploratory tour of the solar
> system¹s most beautiful planet.
>
> A newly formed group is organizing four events in 2004 to
> make sure people age 4 on up don't miss this first-ever tour
> of Saturn and Titan.
>
> The first event, "Saturn: The REAL Lord of the Rings," will
> be Saturday, June 19, from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the Kuiper
> Space Sciences Building, 1629 E. University Blvd., and the
> adjacent Flandrau Science Center on the UA campus.
>
> LPL Director Michael Drake will emcee keynote science talks
> at 6:30 p.m. in Room 308 of the Kuiper building. Speakers include:
>
> *    Professor Robert H. Brown, who leads Cassini's Visual
> and Infrared
> Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) team. VIMS will identify the
> chemical make-up of the surfaces, atmospheres and rings of
> Saturn and its moons by measuring colors of visible light and
> infrared energy emission. Brown's team includes U.S., French,
> and German scientists who will be in Tucson analyzing first
> results from Cassini's June 11 flyby of Saturn's outpost moon, Phoebe.
> Phoebe is likely either an asteroid or a Kuiper Belt object,
> Brown said. If it's the latter, Cassini will be the first
> spacecraft ever to fly by a Kuiper Belt object, giving us the
> first glimpse of what those frigid bodies at the edge of the
> solar system look like, Brown noted.
>
> *    Professor Jonathan I. Lunine, one of three
> interdisciplinary scientists
> for Cassini's Huygens probe. Lunine began planning the
> Cassini mission as a graduate student. He titled his feature
> article on the mission, published in the June 2004 Scientific
> American, "Saturn at Last!" Lunine is one of the most widely
> interviewed Cassini scientists when the subject is Titan,
> Saturn's largest moon. Titan, Lunine says, is "our best
> chance to study organic chemistry in a planetary environment
> that has remained lifeless over billions of years. With a
> thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere and possibly hydrocarbon
> seas, Titan may harbor organic compounds important in the
> chain of chemistry that led to life on Earth."
>
> *    Research Professor Martin G. Tomasko, who leads the Descent
> Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) experiment on the Huygens
> probe. DISR will take pictures as the probe spins through its
> more than 2 hour, 15 minute descent through Titan's
> atmosphere. His team hopes to get 20 complete panoramic
> views, starting at 150 km above the surface. Just before
> landing, DISR turns on a 20-watt lamp so the instrument's
> spectrometers get data about the surface. Throughout its
> fall, DISR will analyze sunlight reflected from the surface
> of Titan and sunlight absorbed and scattered in Titan's
> thick, plastic-smog filled atmosphere. Tomasko's team tested
> an identical DISR model in helicopter flights over southern
> Arizona's Picacho Peak, then made a movie of those panoramic
> views, to prepare for the real thing next Jan. 14.
>
> Youngsters, as well as adults, will have plenty to do
> starting at 5 p.m., before the science talks. In addition to
> filling up on cake and punch, courtesy of LPL, they can:
>
> *    Visit educational displays, where volunteers will answer
> questions, and
> pick up free educational handouts on the 3rd floor Atrium in
> the Kuiper Space Sciences Building
> *    Take part in hands-on activities hosted by UA's Science
> and Mathematics
> Education Center and Pima Community College students. Those
> who will supervise the fun workshops, suitable for ages 4
> through 14, suggest coming to the Atrium at 5 to sign up for
> the activities that start at 5:45.
> *    Join a free star party from 6 to 10 p.m. on the mall
> lawn in front of
> Flandrau and the Kuiper building. Flandrau telescope
> operators and members of the Tucson Amateur Astronomy
> Association will have several telescopes aimed at the best
> sky sights right now ­ Jupiter and the Galilean moons, Mars
> (from 6 to 8 p.m.), and the razor-thin crescent moon. Saturn
> can't be seen from Earth right now, but Flandrau will be
> showing the new "Ring World"
> planetarium show, an animated version of Cassini's Saturn
> tour (entry fee charged).
>
> Visitors can park free all day on June 19 in the Cherry Ave.
> garage (southeast corner of Cherry Ave. and University Blvd.)
> or in any regular UA parking lot, including metered and
> "service vehicle only" spaces. Note that handicapped spaces
> are reserved for those designated users and that parking in
> the fenced NOAO lot north of Flandrau is prohibited. Maps,
> directions, and more information is on the web at
> http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/pop
>
> Saturn event organizers include staff from the Lunar and
> Planetary Laboratory, Flandrau Science Center, the
> Tucson-based Planetary Science Institute, and the UA. Group
> members, who have formed the Public Outreach Program (POP),
> are organizing a second program, "Titan: World of Mystery,"
> to be held Saturday, July 10. They will organize October and
> November programs that will feature different Cassini
> scientists and present the latest Cassini images and
> discoveries. All programs also are NASA-JPL Solar System
> Ambassadors-sponsored events.
>
> The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project between
> NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.
> The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California
> Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for
> NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
>
> ***NEWS EDITORS: UA Cassini scientists and LPL Director
> Michael Drake will be available for interviews beginning at 4
> p.m. in Room 312 of the Kuiper Space Sciences Building. Event
> organizers will have press kits, background information and image CDs.
>
> For special media arrangements or other interviews, contact
> Montine Rummel at 520-661-6999, Loretta McKibben at
> 520-626-7432, or by e-mail to pop@.... For a DVC
> Pro or Beta copy of "Ring World" animation for broadcast,
> contact Vern Lamplot, UA News Services, 520-621-1877. ***
>
>
>
>
>
> Jupiter_list home page - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jupiter_list
> The Moderator of this list is Jason Perry.  You can contact
> him at perry@...
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=129963mes/M=298184.5022502.6152625.30
> 01176/D=groups/S=1707581721:HM/EXP=1086734297/A=2164330/R=0/SI
> G=11eamf8g4/*http://www.netflix.com/Default?mqso=60183350>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=298184.5022502.6152625.30011
> 76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2164330/rand=650027746>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/jupiter_list/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  jupiter_list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:jupiter_list-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>

Thanks Matias,
There's some excellent information there!!
'Just the kind of stuff we need.

The site re-construction is under way. I just need to hear back from a few
people I've
contacted to ask permission to use their data/images. Then I'll start uploading.

Perhaps I could ask a favour of you. It's clear that you have a better
understanding of the
more technical elements of this mission than I. Could I ask you to  put a folder
together in our files, detailing whatever you can share regarding the flight/
critical manoeuvres etc.
I'd really appreciate it.

More about Phoebe soon.
Meantime, check out this image. It's fantastic!!
SEAN.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Matias,
It seems that if I try to insert a photo directly into a mail,
then Yahoo deletes the "non-text" before it reaches anybody. How annoying!
Let me take a leaf from your book and just include the link!
This is a great image.
http://ringmaster.arc.nasa.gov/saturn/images/ring_sat.gif

SEAN.


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

----- Original Message -----
From: cassini@...
To: Cassini Spacecraft Updates
Sent: Friday, June 04, 2004 6:11 PM
Subject: Cassini Significant Events for 05/27/04 - 06/02/04


Cassini Significant Events
for 05/27/04 - 06/02/04

The most recent spacecraft telemetry was acquired from the Canberra tracking
station on Wednesday, June 2. The Cassini spacecraft is in an excellent
state of health and is operating normally. Information on the present
position and speed of the  Cassini spacecraft may be found on the "Present
Position" web page located at
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/operations/present-position.cfm .

This week's key activity was the successful execution of Trajectory
Correction Maneuver #20 (TCM).  This maneuver was particularly significant
in that it used the propulsion system in exactly the same mode that it will
be used for SOI. A "quick look" immediately after the maneuver showed the
burn duration was 362 seconds, giving a delta-V of 34.7 meters per second.
This was well within expected tolerances.  The low gain antenna 2 (LGA-2)
was used while the spacecraft was off Earth-point to provide a signal to the
radio science receiver to track the spacecraft during the burn.  This was a
mini-dress rehearsal for Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) where the same
technique will be used.  The observed Doppler shift due to the burn was
almost identical to the pre-burn predict.  This was the first use of LGA-2
since prior to Earth flyby. An excellent article appeared on CBS News "SPACE
PLACE" on May 27 detailing this maneuver and its significance to the Cassini
Program.  For more information please link to:
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/cassini/040527burn.html

After execution of TCM-20 and a rest over the Memorial Day holiday, the
Spacecraft Operations Office oversaw the uplink of the SOI Critical Sequence
Load to the SSR.  This load will control on board activities during the SOI
period.  The upload went nominally.

On-board instrument activities this week included calibration of the Radio
and Plasma Wave Subsystem antenna in preparation for the Phoebe encounter on
June 11. The Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) observed a full rotation of
Saturn in three methane and nearby continuum filters for cloud and haze
sounding and visible polarizers for cloud and haze properties.

As part of sequence development for S02, Uplink Operations released the
Final Sequence Integration and Validation SEG products for review and
comment.

The kickoff meeting for the S04 Science Operations Plan Update process was
held this week.  A Science Adaptation Panel meeting was canceled since there
were no significant changes to the DSN station requests.

A Tour Process meeting was held Wednesday to discuss a candidate trajectory
that the Navigation Team developed last Friday.  This trajectory solves many
of the timing problems that exist in the science plan when using the
reference trajectory that was released in May.  An initial plan has been
developed on how the science planning effort should proceed over the next
couple of months.

In the last week, 1240 ISS images were obtained and were distributed along
with 838 Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) cubes.  The total
number of ISS images acquired since the start of Approach Science is now
8818, and the number of VIMS cubes is 2050.

Mission Planning released the Cassini Saturn arrival mission description
document.  This provides a high-level profile of arrival activities
including Phoebe and SOI.  The document is available on the Cassini internal
web site.

Mission Sequence Subsystem delivered the Mac OS/ X and Linux client-server
versions of the Pointing Design tool (PDT).  These versions of PDT are
functionally identical to the D10.3.1 version delivered for Solaris 9 in mid
May.

During spring 2004, Saturn Observation Campaign members - 200 in the United
States and 100 in other countries - conducted nearly 200 observing events
featuring Saturn and Cassini.

JPL /Cassini Outreach has released a Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report -
May 28, 2004.  The report covers TCM-20, the upcoming Phoebe fly by, Saturn
Orbit Insertion in late June, and the release of the Huygens Probe.  For
more information please link to: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

Cassini appeared in an article in Scientific American this month.  For more
information see their web site at: http://www.sciam.com/issue.cfm

Cassini is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the
Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the
California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Cassini
mission for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.

Cassini Outreach
Cassini Mission to Saturn and Titan
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
National Aeronautics and Space Administration


---
To unsubscribe from Cassini Spacecraft Updates, send a message to
leave-cassini-401951H@...
---
Visit the JPL Cassini home page for more information about the Cassini Project:
<http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/>



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Sea,

Great stuff!

Yea, I think the only way to preserve an email in a yahoo post is to email it as
a file attachment.

I'll take into consideration what you said about mantaining a flight ops folder
and keep an eye out  for material.

-Matías

> -----Original Message-----
> From: SEAN [mailto:seanzedd@...]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 7:22 AM
> To: cassinihuygens@yahoogroups.com
> Subject: Re: [Cassini Huygens] Public Invited to Cassini
> Event at UA on June 19
>
> Matias,
> It seems that if I try to insert a photo directly into a
> mail, then Yahoo deletes the "non-text" before it reaches
> anybody. How annoying!
> Let me take a leaf from your book and just include the link!
> This is a great image.
> http://ringmaster.arc.nasa.gov/saturn/images/ring_sat.gif
>
> SEAN.
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
> ADVERTISEMENT
> click here
> <http://rd.yahoo.com/SIG=129hhhe8g/M=298184.5022502.6152625.30
01176/D=groups/S=1705083547:HM/EXP=1086780367/A=2164339/R=0/SIG=>
11e2d64in/*http://www.netflix.com/Default?mqso=60183348>
>
> <http://us.adserver.yahoo.com/l?M=298184.5022502.6152625.30011
76/D=groups/S=:HM/A=2164339/rand=807165188>
>
> ________________________________
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
> * To visit your group on the web, go to:
>  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cassinihuygens/
>
> * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>  cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
> <mailto:cassinihuygens-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Uns
ubscribe>
>
> * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo!
> Terms of Service <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> .
>
>