The Cassini-Huygens mission arrived at Saturn in 2004, beginning an epic thirteen-year tour of the ringed planet and its many moons. Cassini and its companion probe, Huygens, were an international collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). Cassini carried an impressive array of scientific instruments, including the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) built at Goddard Space Flight Center. By studying the Saturn system in heat radiation, CIRS observed hot spots in a giant Saturn storm, discovered a new hydrocarbon in Titan's smoggy atmosphere, found unexpected surface heating on Mimas and Tethys, and even detected evidence of a liquid water ocean under the icy shell of Enceladus. This video explores Cassini CIRS' greatest hits, as told by instrument team members Michael Flasar, Conor Nixon, and Carrie Anderson.
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NASA ID
GSFC_20170912_Cassini_m12709_CIRS_Long
Date Created
September 12, 2017
Center
GSFC
Media Type
video
Photographer
Robert Andreoli, John Caldwell, Katrina Jackson, Michael Lentz, Chris Smith, Chris Meaney, Tom Bridgman
Location
Goddard Space Flight Center
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