Click To View Slideshow» Before Cassini goes out like a gangsta, check out the coolest images from its 20-year mission.
Remember being 19? How did you mark that last year of your teens? Did you finally get that tattoo? Go on a road trip with a friend? Vote for the first time? Neat! Well, just a month shy of its 20th birthday, NASA's Cassini mission will celebrate by purposefully diving into Saturn's atmosphere.
In October 1997, the Cassini mission—a joint project of NASA and the ESA—launched from Cape Canaveral en route to Saturn (with a few "gravity assist" fly-bys of Venus and Jupiter along the way). Cassini officially inserted itself into orbit around Ol' Hula Hoop Face in 2004 and has provided scientists with a steady stream of hot sexy science ever since.
- See: Dazzling Shots From Cassini's Final Look at Saturn's Moon, Dione
Cassini, named for the 17th-century Italian astronomer who first noted Saturn's rings, has provided humanity with an unprecedented view of the saturnine system, including the planet, its rings, and its many many moons (62 and counting).
In January 2005, Cassini dispatched its Huygens probe to the surface of the moon Titan, which returned detailed photos and data back to scientists on Earth. The original mission officially ended in June 2008, but was granted two extensions, which kept it going until this year, when it will all come to a spectacular end.
- See: 16 Stunning Images of Saturn's Battered Death Star Moon, Tethys
Later this month, Cassini will begin a series of 22 weekly "dives" between Saturn and its rings before finally descending into the planet's atmosphere, sending back images and data until the very end. Whoa, right?
So, why are scientists purposefully ending what is arguably one of humanity's greatest engineering feats? After 13 years in orbit, Cassini is beginning to run low on fuel, which means that scientists will lose the ability to navigate the vessel. Chances are that, if simply left to the laws of physics, Cassini will circle aimlessly around Saturn and never again interact with any major celestial body. However, thanks to Cassini's insights, scientists can confirm that at least two of Saturn's moons—Enceladus and Titan—contain habitable (or at least "prebiotic") environments. While far from confirmed, there is a chance that these two moons could support some form of primordial life.
Without the ability to control Cassini, there remains a (minute, but definite) chance that the spacecraft might smack into these moons and possibly contaminate these bodies with some hardy Earth stowaways. To be on the safe side, researchers opted for a suicide mission.
- See: 9 Close-Up Photos of Saturn's Spongy Weirdo Moon, Hyperion
With the end in sight, Cassini's control team will attempt a series of perilous maneuvers they would never feel free to attempt otherwise. This finale will provide some unprecedented close-up views of Saturn and its rings before the mission's scheduled end on September 15.
Godspeed, space friend. You're going out like a true gangsta, Cassini.
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