To read about it at the NASA website please click here:
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cassini/main/index.html
To read about it at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory please click here:
https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/3119/cassini-spacecraft-makes-its-final-approach-to-saturn/
To read about it on BBC, please click here:
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-41262984
Traveling to Saturn at tachyonic velocities exceeding the speed of light, the Space Alien took many excellent photographs of Cassini, and kindly shares two of them here, neatly labeled, so that you, loyal readers, might expand your knowledge of space exploration.
Here is one of the Space Alien's exclusive "selfies" taken while gently nudging the sometimes wayward spacecraft into it's proper orbit. It was difficult and dangerous work, but this did not deter the Space Alien, whose dedication to science has few equals.
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The Space Alien Gently Guides Cassini around Saturn |
The Space Alien was proud to participate in this vital mission, and while saddened to see Cassini come to an end, appreciates the vast store of knowledge we have gained thereby.
The entire staff of the Space Alien Gazette is proud of the Space Alien, who took on this important job quietly, with no publicity or fanfare, all in the service of science.
Now, having completed this mission and before returning to work at the Space Alien Gazette, the Space Alien will enjoy a few recreational days hunting for diamonds on Uranus.
http://www.astronomy.com/news/2017/08/researchers-recreate-diamond-rain
https://phys.org/news/2010-01-oceans-liquid-diamond-neptune-uranus.html
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Post Scripts:
A loyal reader sent the Space Alien Gazette this photograph of the Cassini team!
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The Space Alien and Cassini Teammates Celebrate their Great Achievement! |
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Giovanni Domenico Cassini |
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King Louis, XIV |
The Space Alien's meeting with Cassini took place in France, where Cassini spent much of his life, and where he was the first to use a method of determining longitude to measure the size of France accurately. France turned out to be smaller than expected.
This disappointed King Louis, XIV (the Sun King) who wanted to make France great again.
After Cassini tutored the Space Alien in these advanced survey methods learned in France, the Space Alien offered to teach them to Thomas Jefferson in connection with the newly established American Public Land Survey System (for which see: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Land_Survey_System).
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T. Jefferson |
Jefferson politely declined the Space Alien's offer, fearing that that this could make America small again.
The Space Alien disagreed, but did not dwell on the matter.
Special Postscripts -- September 15, 2017
1. September 14, 2017 was the 205th anniversary of Giovanni Domenico Cassini's death (on the English calendar). The Space Alien observed this appropriately.