Teachable Moment This Friday! Cassini's Mission Finale at Saturn

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A Teachable Moment You Won't Want to Miss: Cassini's Mission Finale at Saturn

On Friday, Sept. 15, after nearly 13 years exploring Saturn, NASA's Cassini mission will come to an end as the spacecraft makes an intentional plunge into the ringed giant. The so-called Grand Finale dive is designed to protect Saturn's moons, including the potentially habitable Enceladus, for future exploration.

In recent months, Cassini has completed a series of daring maneuvers that have brought it closer to Saturn than ever before – all the way into the narrow gap between the planet and its rings. The feat has added stunning new images and science to Cassini's rich catalog that has vastly expanded our knowledge about the Saturn system. Until another spacecraft makes the journey to this distant world, Cassini's final transmission (to be sent during its farewell dive into Saturn's atmosphere) will be our last piece of intimate data about this fascinating planet.

Explore these resources to find out more about Cassini's Grand Finale and how to share the wonder of the mission with students:

• Learn how to turn the Grand Finale into Teachable Moment for students.
• Visit the Cassini website to learn more about the mission and how to follow along on September 15.
• Get the latest news and updates for the Cassini mission on the JPL website.
• Explore these standards-aligned activities all about Saturn and NASA's Cassini mission:
  • NEW! Activity Collection: Jewel of the Solar System – Explore Saturn and the Cassini mission with this eight-part series of activities targeting after-school settings.
    0. Jewel of the Solar System Activity Guide
    1. What Do I See When I Picture Saturn?
    2. Where Are We in the Solar System?
    3. Discovering Saturn: The Real "Lord of the Rings"
    4. Saturn's Fascinating Features
    5. My Spacecraft to Saturn
    6. All About Titan and Huygens Probe
    7. Drop Zone! Design and Test a Probe
    8. Celebrating Saturn and Cassini
  • Lesson: Flying By Saturn's Moon Enceladus – Teach students about Saturn's scientifically intriguing moon Enceladus and investigate its fascinating features, including its ocean and plumes, using math.
  • Video Lesson: Bouncing Radio Waves Off Titan's Lakes – Learn about one way we study Titan in this educational video.
  • Problem Set: Pi in the Sky – Have older students use mathematics to calculate Cassini's fuel reserves.
  • Problem Set: Pi in the Sky 4 – Students can also calculate the date of the spacecraft's Grand Finale dive into Saturn.

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