Cassini Saturn Probe Undergoes Preflight Testing
The newly assembled Cassini Saturn probe undergoes vibration and thermal testing at the JPL facilities in Pasadena, California. Subjected to weeks of "shake and bake" tests that imitate the forces and extreme temperatures the spacecraft will experience during launch and spaceflight. Cassini's mission was to orbit Saturn for four years and study the planet, its rings and moons in detail. The large moon Titan is a principal target for exploration, and Cassini carried the Huygens probe, (gold-mylar covered circular object seen here mounted on the front of the spacecraft) that was released to enter Titan's thick atmosphere and descend to the surface via parachute. The Huygens probe was provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the radio antenna at top of Cassini was provided by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The project is a joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Image Number: p48313bc
Date: October 31, 1996
Cassini Saturn Probe Undergoes Preflight Testing
The newly assembled Cassini Saturn probe undergoes vibration and thermal testing at the JPL facilities in Pasadena, California. Subjected to weeks of "shake and bake" tests that imitate the forces and extreme temperatures the spacecraft will experience during launch and spaceflight. Cassini's mission was to orbit Saturn for four years and study the planet, its rings and moons in detail. The large moon Titan is a principal target for exploration, and Cassini carried the Huygens probe, (gold-mylar covered circular object seen here mounted on the front of the spacecraft) that was released to enter Titan's thick atmosphere and descend to the surface via parachute. The Huygens probe was provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the radio antenna at top of Cassini was provided by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The project is a joint endeavor of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.
Credit: NASA/JPL
Image Number: p48313bc
Date: October 31, 1996