Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Cassini's end-of-mission 'proximal' orbits

Cassini's end-of-mission 'proximal' orbits
Cassini's end-of-mission 'proximal' orbits A schematic illustration of Cassini's final Saturn orbits in 2016 and 2017, according to the current XXM plan. The view is from directly above Saturn's north pole, with the main ring system shown in gray, and Cassini's path shown in black. The cluster of orbits crossing the lower part of the figure are the "F-ring" orbits which Cassini will follow from November 2016 to April 2017, and the upper cluster of orbits, passing between the rings and the planet, are the "proximal" orbits that will be followed from April 2017 until Saturn impact in September 2017. NASA / JPL-Caltech