JPL Makes an Impact in the Past Year

Scientists at JPL can look back at 2005 as the year they ran through cosmic rings, had two Martian birthday parties, and smacked head first into a comet, on purpose.

The spacecraft Cassini-Huygens ended the year with a flyby of Saturn's moon, Titan. The spacecraft has been sending back images and data from the planet since its arrival in July 2004.

Scientists have discovered new information on the make-up of the famous rings but also on the strange formation they produce. In one case they viewed images of Saturn's F ring which seemed to have knots, kinks and clumps in it. What they discovered through Cassini was that the shepherding satellite Prometheus' gravitational pull caused the unusual phenomenon.

Cassini spacecraft has explored not only the rings but the moons of Saturn including Enceladus, Dione, Rhea, Hyperion

and Iapetus. It has also been studying the planet itself, it is examining the atmosphere and cloud features in an attempt to learn what Saturn was like during its formation and evolution.

The Mars Rovers have been very successful in sending back never before seen images of Mars and data that will help scientist discover the Martian environment that had periods of water and possibly habitable conditions.

The rovers, Opportunity and Spirit, both celebrated their Martian birthdays this month. A Martian year is equivalent to 687 Earth days. This is a big milestone not only for the rovers, who must endure temperatures from 0 degrees Celsius in the daytime to a negative 100 degrees Celsius at night, but for the scientists who had only planned a 90-day mission for each rover.

Data has been sent back that gives scientist an idea of the geological base of the planet but the images are what has fascinated everyone from school children to scientists. In addition to the variety of craters they have explored, Spirit sent back night images of a Martian meteor shower as Mars passed through the debris trial left by the passage of Halley's comet.

And no one knows how to display cosmic fireworks like JPL. On the Fourth of July scientists successfully impacted the comet Tempel 1. Deep Impact launched January 12, 2005. The spacecraft had two parts, a VW Bug-sized flyby probe to shoot pictures and carry the second part, a coffee table sized iron impactor.