What technology was used on Cassini?
What technology was used on Cassini?
Microwave Remote Sensing. Using radio waves, these instruments mapped atmospheres, determined the mass of moons, collected data on ring particle size, and unveiled the surface of Titan.
How did Cassini transmit data?
The Radio Science Subsystem sent radio signals from Cassini to Earth using the spacecraft’s large radio dish called the high-gain antenna. En route, the radio signal interacted with Saturn’s moons, rings or Saturn’s atmosphere.
How did Cassini collect data for scientists?
Cassini carried 12 science instruments to collect a wide range of information about the Saturnian environment. These sophisticated devices took images across the infrared, visible and ultraviolet light spectra, detected dust particles, and characterized Saturn’s plasma environment and magnetosphere.
What technology has been used to study Saturn?
Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) measures infrared energy from the surfaces, atmospheres and rings of Saturn and its moons to study their temperature and compositions.
How was Cassini powered?
Cassini’s electrical power source — Radio- isotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) — have provided electrical power for some of the U.S. space program’s greatest suc- cesses, including the Apollo lunar landings and the Viking landers that searched for life on Mars.
How did Cassini send images to Earth?
Cassini has two digital cameras: a narrow-angle camera and a wide-angle camera. The computer on Cassini takes all of the information recorded by the pixels and converts it into digital code. The code is made up of 0’s and 1’s. These are called “bits.” The radio transmitter then sends the “bitstream” of data to Earth.
How much data did Cassini collect?
Since January 1, 2004—the beginning of the Saturn phase of the mission—Cassini has radioed almost 139 Gigabytes of science data to Earth.
What technique did Cassini and his colleague Jean Richer use to determine Mars distance from Earth?
Parallax effect
Parallax effect In 1672, Cassini’s colleague Jean Richer went to Cayenne, French Guiana, while Cassini stayed in Paris so that the two could make simultaneous observations of Mars and, by computing the parallax, determined its distance from Earth.
What equipment is used on Saturn?
On Friday (March 16), engineers reactivated Cassini’s plasma spectrometer, one of 12 instruments used by the spacecraft to study Saturn and its many moons, NASA officials said this week. It is designed to measure the energy and electrical charge of particles around Saturn.
