Projects: Space Information
The Planetary Report
Volume XXV, Number 3, May/June 2005
May / June 2005
Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute
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On the Cover
Cassini images taken on December 31, 2004 were combined to
make this near-true-color view of Saturn’s moon Iapetus. This image,
taken at a distance of about 172,900 kilometers (107,400
miles) shows the northern part of the moon’s dark Cassini Regio.
The large impact basin visible here is 400 kilometers (250 miles) in
diameter. This image has been rotated so that north is to the right.
From The Editor
In 1980, as the two Voyager spacecraft
were on their way to Saturn, we started
an organization dedicated to ensuring that
humanity's exploration of the solar system
did not end at the sixth planet from the
Sun. There was, at that time, a real danger
that the political will to explore the universe
around us had failed. With The Planetary
Society, we were able to demonstrate that
the popular will to see what lay beyond the
next planet was still strong and kicking.
The popular will prevailed, and we reap
the results today. Just look at all the moons
we cover in this issue of The Planetary Report!
In 1980, there were 11 known moons
of Saturn; in 2005, Saturn boasts 34
named moons, with 12 more waiting in the
queue. Every day, Cassini returns more
images of the Saturnian system, following
the trail blazed by Voyager 25 years ago.
We are looking at Earth’s own Moon again, with an eye to returning there
in person. We are not just wondering if there are any planetary systems besides
ours; we are searching for and finding them. We are reveling in the overwhelming
richness of nature and its potential to awe us with every new discovery.
In a very real way, The Planetary Society focused the public will to make
all this happen. Let’s hope our next 25 years are just as successful!
— Charlene M. Anderson
Features
The Moon: What We Know and Want to Know
After decades of neglect, the Moon
has once again become a popular
destination—six space agencies have plans for missions to the Moon,
totaling
10 spacecraft set to explore our nearest neighbor. We’ve been to the
Moon
numerous times before, so why go back? What more is there to learn? Planetary
Report Technical Editor James Burke summarizes our current lunar knowledge
and what we hope to learn from future missions, looking ahead to the possibility
of returning one day with human explorers.
Cassini’s Cornucopia of Moons: 7 Satellites
in 7 Months at Saturn
Twenty five years ago, Voyager 1 and 2 gave us our first close-up look
at
Saturn’s diverse and intriguing moons. Now, we have returned to the
Saturnian
system with Cassini for a four-year tour, filled with close flybys of all
the
major satellites. In just 7 months, Cassini has returned more data about
Saturn’s
moons than the Voyagers did in the 1980s. Here, planetary scientists Amanda
Hendrix and Jonathan Lunine present the latest views of 7 of Saturn’s
icy
moons—Phoebe, Tethys, Dione, Iapetus, Mimas, Rhea, and Enceladus.
Departments
Members’ Dialogue
We Make It Happen!
World Watch
Questions and Answers
Society News
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