[Image appears of Glen standing in front of a satellite dish and talking to the camera and text appears: Glen Nagle, Outreach Lead, CDSCC]
Glen Nagle: The CSIRO manages the Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex which is a part of NASA’s Deep Space Network. We’re one of only three stations around the world providing 24-hour coverage for over 30 missions across the Solar System.
Our tracking station has been with Cassini since she opened her eyes to the Universe and now we’re going to be with her until her last breath of data as it plunges into the atmosphere of Saturn, ending its life as a shooting star.
Normally Cassini stores and forwards the science it collects but for this final plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere it’s sending back its information in real time to our giant dishes here in Canberra. On the 15th September, shortly before 10 pm Australian Eastern Standard time, Cassini travelling at over 111,000 km per hour will send home her final signals ending what has been a 20-year odyssey of exploration.
[Image continues of Glen Nagle talking to the camera and text appears on the left: Cassini’s Grand Finale, Final signal @ 9:54 pm AEST, Friday 15 September, csiro.au/cassini, nasa.gov/ntv, #CassiniAus, #GrandFinale]
Everyone can join us for this historic moment in space exploration by either watching the live stream on NASA TV or via social media using the hashtags CassiniAus, A-U-S or Grand Finale.
[Music plays and CSIRO logo and text appears: Australia’s innovation catalyst]
Cassini has spent the past 20 years in space, including 13 years studying Saturn and its moons, and is now running out of fuel.
NASA will use Cassini’s last fuel reserves to place the spacecraft on a direct course into Saturn’s atmosphere where it will burn up and disintegrate like a meteor.
The end of the mission is designed to protect Saturn’s moons Titan and Enceladus, which have the potential to support life.
As Cassini descends, it will capture images and data from Saturn, its atmosphere and probe the inner workings of the planet.
Back here on Earth, those last whispers of data will be captured in ‘real-time’ by the giant antenna ‘ears’ of the CSIRO-operated Canberra Deep Space Communication Complex (CDSCC).
The station is one of NASA’s three tracking stations around the world that provide vital two-way radio contact with spacecraft like Cassini.
CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said CSIRO had a long and successful history in space.
“CSIRO has over 50 years of collaboration with NASA, and designing, building and operating major research facilities like CDSCC and ASKAP, and transitioning space technologies to many SMEs,” Dr Marshall said.
“Now, our team in Canberra will play a crucial role monitoring Cassini’s final hours – its ‘Grand Finale’.”
The Canberra station has been with Cassini through every step of its journey of discovery, from when it first opened its ‘eyes’ to the Universe after launching in 1997 to receiving the signal confirming that Cassini had arrived safely in orbit at Saturn in 2004.
Along its way, Cassini (and its Titan-bound companion, the atmospheric entry probe Huygens) captured hundreds of thousands of images and taught us more about Saturn, its rings and many moons.
It gave us the first complete view of Saturn’s north polar region, revealed giant hurricanes at both of the planet’s poles, and showed that the largest moon, Titan, is an Earth-like world with rain, rivers, lakes and seas.
Director of CDSCC Dr Ed Kruzins said it was hard to imagine how far the signals from Cassini had travelled. “Cassini’s final weak radio signals will have travelled 1.5 billion km at the speed of light to reach Canberra.” Dr Kruzins said.
“The world will be watching and waiting for that bittersweet moment when NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) mission control announces ‘loss of signal’, and we’ll know that Cassini's final call home has been made.”
Dr Marshall said Australia’s contributions to global space exploration were inspirational.
“Space has the power to transcend generations and inspire endless opportunities,” he said.
“We study the stars because they tell us where we came from, and inspire us to imagine just how far we might go.
“Just as I was inspired as a kid by watching Apollo 11 land on the Moon, today’s school kids have the opportunity to witness the spectacular finale of Cassini zooming through Saturn’s rings.
“The next generation of children will see a brighter tomorrow through the technology we’re imagining – and building – today.”
For more information on CSIRO’s role supporting the Cassini mission visit www.csiro.au/cassini
Resources for media
- Join the Australian Science Media Centre briefing ‘Cassini’s grand finale’ with our spokespeople Ed Kruzins (CDSCC Director) and Glen Nagle (CDSCC Outreach Lead):
Date: Wednesday 13 September 2017
Time: 10:00am AEST
Where: Join online - Multimedia assets are available for download via Dropbox or Cloudstor(same content)
Background information
CSIRO and space
CSIRO is Australia’s national science agency. For 100 years we’ve delivered positive impact from science and technology, and have a long and successful history in the space sector:
- Australia’s southern hemisphere location is a great natural asset for astronomy and space science, which is complemented by our proven ability to manage large, complex facilities with a high degree of reliability.
- We understand the power of Earth observation data to inform policy, manage natural environments and generate agricultural and industrial development opportunities.
Our partnerships with industry are delivering breakthrough innovations that support supply chains, from imaging and sensor technologies to autonomous robotics, new materials and manufacturing processes.