Nature: Cassini's 13 Years of Stunning Saturn Science - in Pictures.

[NNadir]

Cassini’s 13 years of stunning Saturn science — in pictures

It's brief, but opened sourced; I recommend taking a look at the PDF version.

I love this graphic:

http://www.nature.com/polopoly_fs/7.46007.1504091141!/image/casinis-journey.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_630/casinis-journey.jpg

The mission was launched 20 years ago, in 1997. The world seemed so full of hope then; Bill Clinton was President, and even though that racist freak Newt Gingrich was in control of the House of Representatives, it seemed like the country was on the right track in spite of his ignorance now matched by other racists, Paul Ryan and the worst racist in the Senate, Mitch McConnell.

These creeps would have never funded science like this.

No one thought, in 1997, especially not me, that the entire country would be controlled by Neo Nazis who hated science, but here, 20 years later we face this.

The United States was a great nation in 1997; a nation that could launch the Cassini mission. It is terrible how far we have fallen in so short a time.

Let us hope and work to make it that kind of nation again, not a nation of Klansmen, but a great nation that can do things like Cassini. Let this not be the last outstanding space science and engineering to come from our country!

[longship]

1. An incredible, earlier, TED Talk from Carolyn Porco.

This is unforgettable:

Porco rolled 18 on charisma and has double +6 saving throws versus journalistic prying into her personal life.

For example, when the NYT asked her why she's never been married, she responded, "My home contains no high maintenance items, no pets, no plants, no husbands."

Gotta love her!

[lastlib]

2. Outstanding!! She is an AMAZING lady!!

A protege of the late great Carl Sagan. -- sssiiiiighhh -- . . her!

[NNadir]

3. I didn't know that Dr. Porco did a TED talk. Thanks for that.

[NNadir]

4. Thanks again. That was a very moving talk, beautiful, one of the best TED talks I've seen. n/t