Context:
Recent findings from data collected by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reveal the presence of a vast ocean beneath the icy surface of Saturn’s moon Mimas.
Relevance:
GS III: Science and Technology
Dimensions of the Article:
- Cassini Spacecraft Overview
- Key Facts about Mimas
Cassini Spacecraft Overview
Mission Background:
- Cassini-Huygens was a collaborative space mission involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) with the goal of exploring Saturn.
Launch Date:
- Launched on October 15, 1997, the Cassini-Huygens mission aimed to provide comprehensive insights into Saturn and its moons.
Components:
- The mission comprised NASA’s Cassini orbiter, marking the first space probe to orbit Saturn, and the ESA’s Huygens probe, which successfully landed on Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
Spacecraft Details:
- Cassini-Huygens was one of the largest interplanetary spacecraft.
- The Cassini orbiter, weighing 2,125 kg (4,685 pounds), measured 6.7 meters (22 feet) in length and 4 meters (13 feet) in width.
- Instruments onboard Cassini included radar for mapping Titan’s cloud-covered surface and a magnetometer for studying Saturn’s magnetic field.
- The disk-shaped Huygens probe, mounted on Cassini, weighed 349 kg (769 pounds), was 2.7 meters (8.9 feet) across, and carried six instruments for studying Titan’s atmosphere and surface.
Mission Highlights:
- Orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017, completing 294 orbits around the planet.
- Provided extensive knowledge about Saturn, including the structure of its atmosphere and rings, and their interactions with the planet’s moons.
- Discovered six named moons and identified Enceladus and Titan as promising locations to search for extraterrestrial life.
- Cassini played a pivotal role in advancing our understanding of the Saturnian system and contributed significantly to planetary exploration.
Key Facts about Mimas
Position and Size:
- Mimas is the smallest and innermost among Saturn’s major regular moons.
Surface Characteristics:
- The moon’s surface is icy and exhibits a high concentration of craters.
Gigantic Crater – Herschel:
- Mimas features a colossal crater named Herschel, measuring 80 miles (130 km) in diameter.
- Within the Herschel crater, a central peak rises to a height of 4 miles, comparable to the height of Mount Everest on Earth.
- Herschel stands out as one of the solar system’s largest impact structures, considering the size of the celestial body.
Low Density Composition:
- Mimas has a low density, indicating that it is primarily composed of water ice.
Solar System Significance:
- Mimas contributes to our understanding of the diversity and composition of moons within the Saturnian system, showcasing unique geological features and characteristics.
-Source: Indian Express
