NASA Announces Cassini End-of-Mission Media Activities [EN]

Updated at 5:00 p.m. EDT on Sept. 12, 2017

On Sept. 15, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft will complete its remarkable story of exploration with an intentional plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere, ending its mission after nearly 20 years in space. News briefings, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

Launched in 1997, Cassini arrived in orbit around Saturn in 2004 on a mission to study the giant planet, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. In April of this year, Cassini began the final phase of its mission, called its Grand Finale — a daring series of 22 weekly dives between the planet and its rings. On Sept. 15, Cassini will plunge into Saturn, sending new and unique science about the planet’s upper atmosphere to the very end. After losing contact with Earth, the spacecraft will burn up like a meteor. This is the first time a spacecraft has explored this unique region of Saturn — a dramatic conclusion to a mission that has revealed so much about the ringed planet.

Cassini flight controllers will monitor the spacecraft’s final transmissions from JPL Mission Control. Interviews with mission engineers and scientists will be available for media.

Cassini Media Events and Schedule

(The NASA TV news conferences will be available on the agency’s website, and times and details are subject to change).

Tuesday, Aug. 29

NASA held a media teleconference on Aug. 29 to preview activities during Cassini’s final two weeks. The event, which is archived, included these panelists:

• Curt Niebur, Cassini program scientist, NASA Headquarters, Washington
• Earl Maize, Cassini project manager, JPL
• Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, JPL

Wednesday, Sept. 13

• 1 p.m. EDT — News conference from JPL with a detailed preview of final mission activities (also available on NASA TV and online). Panelists will include:
  • Jim Green, director of Planetary Science, NASA Headquarters, Washington
  • Earl Maize, Cassini project manager, JPL
  • Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, JPL
  • Hunter Waite, team lead for Cassini’s Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio
• 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. PDT — Media tours of Mission Control (each group tour will last at least half an hour)

Thursday, Sept. 14

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m PDT — NASA Social — onsite gathering for 30 pre-selected social media followers (JPL-accredited media may also attend). Events will include a tour, and a speaker program from 1 to 2 p.m. PDT that will be carried on NASA TV and online.
• 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. PDT — Media tours of Mission Control (each group tour will last at least half an hour)
• About 8 p.m. PDT — Final downlink of images expected to begin (posted online at https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/galleries/raw-images/)

Friday, Sept. 15: End of Mission

• 7 to 8:30 a.m. EDT — Live commentary on NASA TV and online. In addition, an uninterrupted, clean feed of cameras from JPL Mission Control, with mission audio only, will be available during the commentary on the NASA TV Media Channel and on Ustream.

• About 8 a.m. EDT — Expected time of last signal and science data from Cassini

• 9:30 a.m. EDT — Post-mission news conference at JPL (on NASA TV and online). Participants include:
  • Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters, Washington
  • Mike Watkins, center director, JPL
  • Earl Maize, Cassini project manager, JPL
  • Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, JPL
  • Julie Webster, spacecraft operations chief, JPL

Source: NASA

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