More Good News
 

The joint US-European mission to Saturn, Cassini-Huygens, has successfully entered into orbit around the planet!

The 95 minute main engine burn on this morning slowed it down enough to be captured by Saturn's gravity. It actually passed through a gap between two of the rings while decelerating.

Having traveled for more than six years and three billion km, it can now start a four-year study of the ringed planet and its 31 moons.

Nifty stuff!

It sure is! Absolutely fascinates me.

*Almost* went to NASA/GSFC last night to watch the live event. The Visitors Center there was open to the public from about 1930-2300 for the event. Too much other stuff to deal with in my life, though, so didn't get to do it. Ah, well, the important part is that the mission is such a success so far.

Re: More Good News
 

Very! :cool:

In addition to the technical achievement of putting a satellite into orbit around Saturn – an amazing achievement in and of itself, the project management required for such a success must itself be a challenge.

The notion that messages must be sent at least an hour and a half earlier than their earliest possible execution time is unusual. Having to allow for the speed of light as a limitation – now that is an “otherworldly” idea.

In MY opinion,it is a horrible waste of money!I,personally,can't
believe,that people,Bitch about,the cost of a war on terrorism,but
this doesn't bother them.Sure,it's a great accomplishment,but I
would rather,see the money spent on the unexplored regions,of
the sea,on our own planet.That's just my opinion! Irish

Irish,

Lessons learned in outer space help us daily living in inner space.

OldFart? You mean you think war has been done to death, (no pun………..well, pun) and you think something that doesn’t go *BOOM* could be useful?

What a novel thought. :rolleyes:

If you're lucky,my opinion & $1.00,will get you a $1.00s worth!
I'll keep my opinion tho.It's the only thing that is, truely,mine!
Irish
P.S.The only person that you have to satisfy,is the person,that
looks back from the mirror.

^----- Also very true Irish. ;)

Re: More Good News
 

Think they would've gotten there sooner if they'd asked for directions? LOL :D

or feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, setting up decent affordable health care, lowering college tuition, repairing social security, paying our service men and women better, developing more efficient forms of transportation, improving our schools by hiring top people in the fields of science & math to teach, fund more research for finding cures for cancer, AIDS & Parkinsons, make sure every town has its own library, put computers in classrooms......... etc, etc......
~just MY opinion!~ :)

Such as???

Why explore outer space? Because it's there...& because it's what's next...

Teddy Bear,

I doubt that there will ever be enough money to do everything. The toughest question might be "which ones"?