Still In Business
September 4, 2010 5:03 PM   Subscribe

This Summer’s Sexiest Images From Saturn. From a billion miles away, the Cassini spacecraft continues to send spectacular images of Saturn and its moons. Cassini has been flying since 1997 and arrived at Saturn in 2004 after flybys of Earth, Venus and Jupiter. Its mission was originally slated to end in 2008, but it got its first 27 month extension to witness Saturn’s equinox. This year, it was given another life extension until 2017 to keep exploring until Saturn’s northern hemisphere summer solstice. [previously]

In other news, as pointed out by shakespeherian, NASA has joined the Flickr Commons with more than 50 years of photos.
posted by netbros (21 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
All these worlds are yours, except Europa. Attempt no landing there. Use them together. Use them in peace.
posted by nickrussell at 5:06 PM on September 4, 2010


The Big Picture did a couple of sets on these.
posted by delmoi at 5:20 PM on September 4, 2010


Saturn has 62 moons.

SIXTY TWO MOONS. We should be sending a couple of probes to each moon, 6 to Europa just because we're human and not gonna let no stinkin' monolith tell us what to do.
posted by nomadicink at 5:24 PM on September 4, 2010


This Summer’s Sexiest Images From Saturn.

Whoa! NSFW if you work in a geocentric organization!
posted by blue_beetle at 5:26 PM on September 4, 2010 [2 favorites]


I've said it before and I'll say it again,

ANY TIME VULCAN.
posted by The Whelk at 5:44 PM on September 4, 2010


nomadicink: Saturn has 62 moons.

SIXTY TWO MOONS. We should be sending a couple of probes to each moon, 6 to Europa just because we're human and not gonna let no stinkin' monolith tell us what to do.


Should I tell him what's wrong with that, or would you like to?
posted by Mitrovarr at 5:55 PM on September 4, 2010 [2 favorites]


Titan is potentialy more interesting than Europa.

That one of Enceladus is rather cool.
posted by Artw at 6:06 PM on September 4, 2010


This Summer’s Sexiest Images From Saturn

coming next month: Top 10 Hottest PILFS!
posted by Joe Beese at 6:13 PM on September 4, 2010


C'mon now, it's 2010. Let's get some color in those fancy space photos.
posted by amro at 6:25 PM on September 4, 2010


C'mon now, it's 2010. Let's get some color in those fancy space photos.

I predict the focus will be razor sharp by 2020.
posted by hal9k at 6:31 PM on September 4, 2010


C'mon now, it's 2010.

Nope, it was launched in 1997, which means the technology cutoff was probably years earlier. The idea for the craft started back in mid '80s.

Fascinating story on how the craft came to be, the NASA and ESA working together and attempts to kill the project on Wikipedia.
posted by nomadicink at 6:38 PM on September 4, 2010


Let's get some color in those fancy space photos.

I'm digging the B&W, myself.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 7:51 PM on September 4, 2010 [1 favorite]


Yet another example of mission creep. Didn't Obama promise to bring the probe home by August 31st?
posted by saturday_morning at 11:18 PM on September 4, 2010


attempts to kill the project on Wikipedia

It wsa the deletionists, wasn't it? I hate those fuckers.

Great post, and like flapjax, I dig the B&W.
posted by languagehat at 7:38 AM on September 5, 2010 [1 favorite]


The probe is no longer conducting combat operations, dude.
posted by Mister_A at 7:39 AM on September 5, 2010


Lovely - such austere, remote beauty. I kinda feel sorry for poor Pandora, the homely little space potato.

Didn't know that Saturn is about 30% less dense than water - that's a big ball of nothin' much, right there.
posted by Quietgal at 9:24 AM on September 5, 2010


The Sand Dunes of Titan
posted by homunculus at 9:39 AM on September 5, 2010


Is there a reason these photos aren't higher resolution?
posted by l33tpolicywonk at 11:45 AM on September 5, 2010


Liberals.
posted by nomadicink at 8:13 PM on September 5, 2010


The Sand Dunes of Titan

Titan. Dunes. Desert moon.
posted by The Whelk at 9:02 PM on September 5, 2010




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