In his last days, Cassini was bathing in "the rain ring"

In its last orbits in 2017, the long-running Cassini probe plunged between the rings of Saturn and the upper atmosphere and drowned in a rain of dust that astronomers call the "rain of rain". ; rings ".

In a study published in Science, Hsiang-Wen (Sean) Hsu and his colleagues at CU Boulder report that they have successfully collected microscopic material in continuous flow from the rings of the planet.

"Our measurements show exactly what these materials are, how they are distributed and how much dust is coming into Saturn," said Hsu, lead author of the article and research collaborator at the Laboratory of Physics. atmosphere and space (LASP).

The discoveries, which have been made with Cassini's cosmic dust analyzer and the scientific instruments of radio and plasma, go back a little over a year after the spaceship burned in the atmosphere of Saturn. They derive from the "grand finale" of the mission, in which Cassini made a series of risky maneuvers to sneak under the rings of the planet at a speed of 75,000 km / h.

"This is the first time that parts of Saturn's rings are analyzed with a human-made instrument," said Sascha Kempf, co-author of the new study and research associate at LASP. "If you had asked us years ago if that were possible, we would have told you" absolutely "."

The research is part of a series of studies of the latest Cassini orbits published in Science. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) managed the mission, which was a cooperative effort of NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency. Ralf Srama of the University of Stuttgart is conducting research on the cosmic analysis of dust from the spacecraft, and William Kurth of the University of Iowa is leading the science of radio and plasma waves.

Cassini achieved 22 "grand finale" orbits in 2017. During eight of these passages, the Cosmic Dust Analyzer trapped more than 2,700 pieces of charged dust. According to the group 's calculations, there is enough ring rain to send about a ton of material into Saturn' s atmosphere every second.

The researchers were also able to study the composition of this planetary dust. Most of the particles were pieces of water ice – the main component of Saturn's rings. But the spacecraft has also collected a lot of tiny silicates, a class of molecules that make up many space rocks.

This discovery is important, Hsu said, because icy objects in space tend to accumulate dust the longer they sit for a long time – just like your shelves. By studying the exact types of silicates that cover the rings of Saturn, researchers may be able to tell if these features date back billions of years or much younger.

Hsu's colleagues are currently working on these identifications, proving that, despite the disappearance of Cassini, the spacecraft has still not been used by scientists.

"I'm sure there will still be surprises," said Mihaly Horanyi, a professor in CU Boulder's Department of Physics and co-author of the study. "We still have huge amounts of data that we need to sort and analyze."

Research Document

Related Links

University of Colorado at Boulder

Explore the world of Saturn's rings and moons
Jupiter and his moons
The million outer planets of a star called Sol
Information Flash at Mercure

Thank you for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily information network continues to grow but revenues have never been more difficult to maintain. With the rise of ad blockers and Facebook, our traditional revenue streams via quality advertising on the network continue to shrink. And unlike many other news sites, we do not have a paywall – with these usernames and boring passwords. Our press coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you feel that our information sites are useful and useful, then consider becoming a regular supporter or making a unique contribution at the moment.
SpaceDaily Contributor $ 5 billed once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $ 5 billed per month Paypal only

SwRI scientists study the rings of Saturn to discover the showers

San Antonio TX (SPX) Oct 5, 2018

Using some of the final measurements of the Cassini probe, scientists at the Southwest Research Institute discovered that complex organic matter was falling from the rings of Saturn in the upper atmosphere. Cassini's final orbits allowed the instruments to collect particles in the circular environment, discovering that the influx of water and other materials is much heavier than expected.

"For her latest adventure, Cassini has plunged into the unknown region between Saturn's rings and its atmosphere," said Dr. Kelly Mill, of the … read more