NASA Announces Cassini End-of-Mission Activities

On Sept. 15, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will complete its remarkable story of exploration with an intentional plunge into Saturn's atmosphere, ending its mission after nearly 20 years in space. News briefings, photo opportunities and other media events will be held at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and will air live on NASA Television and the agency's website.

NASA also will hold a media teleconference Tuesday, Aug. 29 to preview activities for Cassini during its final two weeks.

VIDEO › DOWNLOAD VIDEO Cassini: The Wonder of Saturn

Launched in 1997, Cassini arrived in orbit around Saturn in 2004 on a mission to study the giant planet, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. In April of this year, Cassini began the final phase of its mission, called its Grand Finale -- a daring series of 22 weekly dives between the planet and its rings. On Sept. 15, Cassini will plunge into Saturn, sending new and unique science about the planet's upper atmosphere to the very end. After losing contact with Earth, the spacecraft will burn up like a meteor. This is the first time a spacecraft has explored this unique region of Saturn -- a dramatic conclusion to a mission that has revealed so much about the ringed planet.

Cassini flight controllers will monitor the spacecraft's final transmissions from JPL Mission Control.

Cassini Media Events and Schedule

(All media teleconferences and NASA TV news conferences will be available on the agency's website, and times are subject to change)

Tuesday, Aug. 29

• 2 p.m. EDT -- Media teleconference about spacecraft science and operations activities for the final orbits leading up to the end of the mission will include:

• - Curt Niebur, Cassini program scientist, Headquarters, Washington

  - Earl Maize, Cassini project manager, JPL

  - Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist, JPL

Visuals discussed during the telecon will be available at the start of the event at:

http://ift.tt/2wKig8t

Wednesday, Sept. 13

• 1 p.m. EDT -- News conference from JPL with a detailed preview of final mission activities (also available on NASA TV and online)

Thursday, Sept. 14

• 10 a.m. to 3 p.m PDT -- NASA Social -- onsite gathering for 30 pre-selected social media followers. Events will include a tour, and a speaker program that will be carried on NASA TV and online.
• About 8 p.m. PDT -- Final downlink of images expected to begin (streamed online only)

Friday, Sept. 15: End of Mission

• 7 to 8:30 a.m. EDT -- Live commentary on NASA TV and online. In addition, an uninterrupted, clean feed of cameras from JPL Mission Control, with mission audio only, will be available during the commentary on the NASA TV Media Channel and on Ustream.
• About 8 a.m. EDT -- Expected time of last signal and science data from Cassini
• 9:30 a.m. EDT -- Post-mission news conference at JPL (on NASA TV and online)

Media and the public also may ask questions during the events using #askNASA.

For online streaming, visit:

http://ift.tt/2mkMV4N

To watch the news conferences online, visit:

http://ift.tt/2mkMV4N

http://www.youtube.com/nasajpl/live

Accreditation

To cover these events at JPL, media must have pre-arranged credentials issued via the JPL Media Relations Office. The deadlines to apply for credentials have passed.

Resources

A Cassini press kit will be available beginning on Aug. 29 at:

http://ift.tt/2vkSnZw

Video for the Cassini mission is available for download at:

http://ift.tt/2wK9gjN

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. JPL manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.

For more information on the Cassini mission's finale, including graphics, fact sheets, press kit, and an up-to-date timeline of mission events, visit:

http://ift.tt/2nBhQsZ

Follow the mission on social media at:

http://www.twitter.com/CassiniSaturn

http://ift.tt/2wKNIDC

News Media Contact

Dwayne Brown / Laurie Cantillo

NASA Headquarters, Washington

|202-358-1726 / 202-358-1077

dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov / laura.l.cantillo@nasa.gov

Preston Dyches

Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

818-354-7013

preston.dyches@jpl.nasa.gov

2017-226b

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