Cassini | |
---|---|
Launch vehicle | Titan IV-Centaur |
Launch date | 1997 October
15 |
Object(s) | Earth (showing image) Moon (close-up images) Venus Jupiter Saturn Mimas Enceladus Tethys Dione Rhea Titan Hyperion Iapetus Phoebe
|
Cassini consists of delivering a probe (called Huygens, provided by ESA) to Titan, and then remaining in orbit around Saturn for detailed studies of the planet and its rings and satellites. The principal objectives are to: (1) determine the three-dimensional structure and dynamical behavior of the rings; (2) determine the composition of the satellite surfaces and the geological history of each object; (3) determine the nature and origin of the dark material on Iapetus' leading hemisphere; (4) measure the three-dimensional structure and dynamical behavior of the magnetosphere; (5) study the dynamical behavior of Saturn's atmosphere at cloud level; (6) study the time variability of Titan's clouds and hazes; and, (7) characterize Titan's surface on a regional scale.