Goodbye, Cassini. And thank you. After a 20-year mission, 13 in orbit of Saturn, Cassini dived one last time for Saturn’s atmosphere. Over the course of its years at Saturn, Cassini has watched the seasons change on the majestic ringed planet and Titan, made unparalleled discoveries, and opened our eyes about the possibilities of life in our solar system beyond Earth. Now, Cassini’s final act will be to preserve that potential life by destroying itself in Saturn’s atmosphere rather than risk contamination of Titan and Enceladus.
