Cassini's final moments: NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Ends Its Historic Exploration of Saturn

Nasa spacecraft sends last signals on Saturn death plunge – as it happened

Video credit: theguardian

After a dive into Saturn, Cassini spacecraft melts into history

After 13 years revolutionizing our understanding of the solar system, NASA's Cassini spacecraft melted this morning during its final, fatal partial orbit into the upper reaches of Saturn.

For about a minute, running on half a hair dryer worth of power, the orbiter-cum-probe beamed direct measures of the planet's atmosphere, along with final probes of its gravity and magnetic field, to mission control at the Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena, California. Then, finally, its thrusters, designed for the vacuum of space, could no longer counter Saturn's turbulence to keep its antenna in line with Earth.

“The signal from the spacecraft is gone,” said Earl Maize, Cassini’s project manager. “And in 45 seconds, so will be the spacecraft.” The spacecraft's aluminum and carbon mylar then melted into the folds of Saturn's elemental abyss.Until their vaporizing end, all systems were nominal.

Nasa has said farewell to its Saturn explorer.