Cassini-Huygens: Exploring Saturn and Its Moons

  1. The Cassini-Huygens mission was a collaboration between NASA, ESA, and ASI.
  2. Launched in 1997, it arrived at Saturn in 2004 after a 7-year journey.
  3. Cassini orbited Saturn for 13 years, studying its rings, moons, and atmosphere.
  4. The Huygens probe landed on Titan in 2005—the first landing on a moon beyond Earth.
  5. Cassini discovered water-ice plumes erupting from Enceladus, hinting at a subsurface ocean.
  6. It revealed Titan’s methane lakes and rivers, making it one of the most Earth-like worlds.
  7. Cassini captured stunning close-up images of Saturn’s intricate ring system.
  8. The mission transformed our understanding of Saturn’s magnetic field and interior.
  9. In 2017, Cassini performed a dramatic “Grand Finale,” diving into Saturn’s atmosphere.
  10. Its discoveries still shape the search for life and habitable worlds in the solar system.