Q&A: Talk to a NASA expert about the Cassini mission orbiting Saturn

Sep 14, 2017

 Washington Post reporter Ben Guarino will be online Thursday, September 14 at 11:30 a.m. with NASA scientist Conor Nixon to discuss what will happen as the Cassini spacecraft plunges into Saturn's atmosphere. 

Ben Guarino

Hi! We're about to get started, so here's some of our previous Cassini coverage for background: Wondering how NASA steers a spacecraft into a planet? Math, mostly. For a recap of one of Cassini's most awesome projects, here's the time it sent the Huygens probe to Saturn's moon Titan. And my Post colleague Sarah Kaplan wrote about a researcher who spent her professional career with Cassini, and now she must say goodbye.

Q: Last photo

So what will be the last photo we get back from Cassini? Or have we already gotten it?

A: Conor Nixon

Great question! Cassini is taking its last pictures in the next few hours, these will be of Saturn and its rings. The last images will arrive tonight before the cameras are turned off for the final plunge tomorrow.
The last signal will come tomorrow -- Cassini will enter into Saturn's atmosphere at 6:32 a.m. eastern. At 7:55 a.m. is when Earth will lose Cassini's signal.

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