The Rings of Saturn, Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Enrichment Activity

2004 NASA SHARP Program

California State Universiy, Los Angeles

Presented by: Dr. Linda J. Spilker

Reported by: Monica B. Nemade

 

 

 

On Thursday, July 15, 2004, several students and adults attended a lecture titled The Rings of Saturn, and among the interested were a group of twenty NASA SHARP students. Dr. Linda J. Spilker addressed almost every aspect of Saturn and its rings. She acknowledged the fact that Saturn is the sixth planet away from the sun and is also the second largest of them all. Although not substantiated fully, Saturn’s rings are about one hundred millions years old. Moreover, just like the planet earth, Saturn encounters different seasons. Although it varies, the temperature on Saturn is approximately ninety degrees Kelvin. It takes twenty-nine years for Saturn to make a full revolution around the sun. Because of its numerous rings and moons, Saturn has become one the most interesting planets to explore. After so much time and effort that was put into creating this incredible spacecraft, Cassini successfully landed on Saturn. Cassini was launched on October 15, 1997 and finally, on June 30, 2004, scientists and other experts from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as well as from all across the world, were extremely pleased. Cassini will remain on Saturn’s surface for four years and will send back to earth several pictures and intense data of Saturn.

 

The Rings of Saturn consist of many different particles ranging from minute to enormous sizes. Dust, ice, and rock are among some of their characteristics. Before Cassini, the Voyager view tended to give extended shadows of the pictures, however, with Cassini, there will be a more broader and precise view of things. Saturn’s rings, labeled A through G were named in the order of discovery. As of now Cassini separates rings A and B, the inner rings. Rings A and B are also dustier than the others. The F ring is also dusty, however, it is brighter than the others. The core of the F ring is evident in the previous Voyager data. The rings of planet Saturn consist of interesting structure such as small, hard, icy spheres, or “fluffy snowballs”. All of Saturn’s rings were formed from an ejected particle of dust. This material dust spread in an angle creating the tilted ring. After the B ring, a very dark area that Cassini will inspect, is present. Many people wonder how long the rings will last. The reality is that they are losing materials because meteoroids tend to bombard the rings. However, with Cassini’s support, people will be able to view snapshots of a relatively young ring system.

 

Furthermore, with Cassini, scientists will be able to view the spiral density and bending waves of the rings. They will also be able to examine the irregular structure of some of them and determine if they are categorized under kinky, ringlets, or something else. More information about Mimas, one of Saturn’s moons that is slowly moving away from the planet, will be uncovered. Also, the Encke division will be deeply observed because Saturn’s ten-kilometer moon, Pan, is orbiting in that area. Cassini will be looking for more moons in the Encke gap. The Keeler Gap, which is one-tenth of the Encke Gap, does not consist of any moon. However, this is an eccentric feature because usually when there is a gap present, a moon is present as well. 

 

The Cassini cruise configuration consists of various instrument parts, eighteen of which were taken from the Voyager spacecraft. The Fields and Particles Pallets scrutinize the photons, electrons, and other chemical compositions. The Antennas pickup radio waves that are emitted from Saturn. Cassini has two engines because scientists figured that they would only have one chance to launch the spacecraft. Therefore, if one fails, the other one is there for backup. Cassini is also the closest any spacecraft has gotten to Saturn.

 

Phoebe, a 220 kilometer in diameter moon belonging to Saturn, has many visible craters of all sizes. Some of the craters may look as if they are “more fresh” than others, but this can be deceiving. Craters can appear to look vibrant and recent even if they are hundreds of years old. The water ice material is especially bright. Underneath the surface of the moon, there is carbon dioxide ice that is now resurfaced. There is also iron material, ice, and other unidentified material on the surface of Phoebe. Titan, another one of Saturn’s moons, is primarily made of nitrogen. On December 24, 2004, Cassini will move on to listen to Titan’s acoustics and wind travel patterns.

 

For hundreds of years, society pondered about Saturn’s rings. With Cassini’s technology and advancement, more valuable and useful information will be discovered. Cassini will uncover much of the interesting and intricate ring phenomena. As of now, Cassini will remain on Saturn for four years, however, if Congress approves, Cassini is likely to stay there for six years. Hopefully it can reside there for eight to ten years so more data can be collected. Without a doubt, it will put an end to some people’s questions and curious minds. However, many more questions will arise for the future. At the conclusion of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory Lecture, everyone left with a better understanding of Saturn. Dr. Linda J. Spilker informed everyone very well. Her knowledge was conveyed to us very clearly, which gave each person a more appreciative outlook for space, especially Saturn and all of its characteristics.