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Cassini-Huygens at Saturn (Concept)
This is an artist's concept of Cassini during the Saturn Orbit Insertion (SOI) maneuver, just after the main engine had begun firing. The spacecraft is shown moving out of the plane of the page and to the right (firing to reduce its spacecraft velocity with respect to Saturn) and has just crossed the ring plane. The SOI maneuver, which was approximately 90 minutes long, allowed Cassini to be captured by Saturn's gravity into a five-month orbit. Cassini's close proximity to the planet after the maneuver offered a unique opportunity to observe Saturn and its rings at extremely high resolution. The Cassini spacecraft left Earth in 1997 and entered Saturn's orbit in July 2005. Scientists hope to keep Cassini orbiting Saturn for at least four years. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-CalTech/ESA Download Wallpaper: 800 x 600 | 1024 x 768 Return to galleries: Earth | Solar System | Stars & Galaxies | Spaceflight & Spacecraft
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