Here’s What We’ve Learned About Saturn Since Cassini Entered Its Orbit 20 Years Ago

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/heres-what-weve-learned-about-saturn-since-cassini-entered-its-orbit-20-years-ago-180984654/?ut

3 Comments

  1. NinjaLanternShark on

    27 years ago when Cassini launched, I downloaded a PDF from the NASA website, loaded some thick paper into my dot-matrix printer, and printed cut-n-fold instructions for building a paper Cassini probe, complete with detachable Huygens lander.

    My dad and I put it together over the course of a few evenings. It sat on my bookshelf (and even survived a move) for at least 7 years until Cassini entered Saturn’s orbit.

    Ever since, any time Cassini popped up in the news, I’d check it out, benefitting from at least a rudimentary understanding of the different components and instruments on the probe.

    This is the kind of public educational outreach we’ll lose if the next administration slashes “non-essential” federal programs and departments as has been promised.

    I don’t know who at NASA put those model instructions together, but I’ve always been grateful that our government-funded scientists found it worthwhile.