Destination Tomorrow : Saturn and Titan.
NASA Destination Tomorrow Video containing three segments as described below. NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment exploring the function of aerobraking and how this helps reduce costs and create more room in aircraft. NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment exploring new materials technology development and how it has revolutionized the world of science and technology. NASA Destination Tomorrow Segment exploring a newly discovered moon called Titan that revolves around the planet Saturn.
SATURNOne of the most spectacular planets out there is in my opinion Saturn. Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. It is a gas giant, the second-largest planet in the solar system after Jupiter. Saturn has a prominent system of rings, consisting of mostly ice particles with a smaller amount of rocky debris. It was named after the Roman god Saturn. Its symbol is a stylized representation of the god's sickle. The Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Vietnamese cultures refer to the planet as the Earth Star, based on the Five Elements. Saturn is probably best known for its planetary rings, which make it one of the most visually remarkable objects in the solar system. See rings of Saturn for a list of the planet's rings. The rings were first observed by Galileo Galilei in 1610 with his telescope, but he clearly did not know what to make of them. He wrote to the Grand Duke of Tuscany that "Saturn is not alone but is composed of three, which almost touch one another and never move nor change with respect to one another. They are arranged in a line parallel to the zodiac, and the middle one [Saturn itself] is about three times the size of the lateral ones [the edges of the rings]." He also described Saturn as having "ears." In 1612 the plane of the rings was oriented directly at the Earth and the rings appeared to vanish, and then in 1613 they reappeared again, further confusing Galileo. The rings can be viewed using a quite modest modern telescope or with a good pair of binoculars. They extend from 6,630 km to 120,700 km above Saturn's equator, and are composed of silica rock, iron oxide, and ice particles ranging in size from specks of dust to the size of a small automobile. There are two main theories regarding the origin of Saturn's rings. One theory, originally proposed by Édouard Roche in the 19th century, is that the rings were once a moon of Saturn whose orbit decayed until it came close enough to be ripped apart by tidal forces (see Roche limit). A variation of this theory is that the moon disintegrated after being struck by a large comet or asteroid. The second theory is that the rings were never part of a moon, but are instead left over from the original nebular material that Saturn formed out of. This theory is not widely accepted today, since Saturn's rings are thought to be unstable over periods of millions of years and therefore of relatively recent origin.
Pioneer 11 flybySaturn was first visited by Pioneer 11 in 1979. It flew within 20,000 km of the planet's cloudtops. Low-resolution images were acquired of the planet and few of its moons. Resolution was not good enough to discern surface features, however. The spacecraft also studied the rings; among the discoveries were the thin F-ring and the fact that dark gaps in the rings are bright when viewed towards the Sun, or in other words, they are not empty of material. It also measured the temperature of Titan.
Voyager flybysIn November, 1980, Voyager 1 probe visited the Saturn system. It sent back the first high-resolution images of the planet, rings, and the satellites. Surface features of various moons were seen for the first time. Voyager 1 performed a close flyby of Titan greatly increasing our knowledge of the atmosphere of the moon. However, it also proved that Titan's atmosphere is impenetrable in visible wavelengths, so no surface details were seen. The flyby also changed spacecraft's trajectory out from the plane of the solar system. Almost a year later, in August, 1981, Voyager 2 continued the study of the Saturn system. More close-up images of Saturn's moons were acquired, as well as evidence of changes in the atmosphere and the rings. Unfortunately, during the flyby, the probe's camera stuck and some planned imaging was lost. Saturn's gravity was used to direct the spacecraft's trajectory towards Uranus. The probes discovered and confirmed several new satellites orbiting near or within the planet's rings. They also discovered the small Maxwell and Keeler gaps.
Cassini orbiterOn July 1, 2004 the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft performed the SOI (Saturn Orbit Insertion) maneuver and entered into orbit around Saturn. Before the SOI Cassini had already studied the system extensively. In June, 2004, it had conducted a close flyby of Phoebe sending back high-resolution images and data. The orbiter completed two Titan flybys before releasing the Huygens probe on December 25, 2004. Huygens descended onto the surface of Titan on January 14, 2005 sending a flood of data during the atmospheric descent and after the landing. As of 2005, Cassini is conducting multiple flybys of Titan and icy satellites. The primary mission ends in 2008 when the spacecraft has completed 74 orbits around the planet.
NASA Destination Tomorrow video containing three segments as described below. NASA Destination Tomorrow Future Space Food Concerns segment long duration space travel such as bone loss, food stability, food nutrition and the need for astronauts to have alternative food sources once they reach their destination. The Future Space Food Concerns segment ends with a Did You Know? segment about astronaut ice cream. NASA Destination Tomorrow Food Tech in Long Space Trip segment contains the Behind the Scenes segment that describes the technology and goals for food on space missions. The Food Tech in Long Space Trip segment describes how food is stored, and the challenges of providing food in space. The Food Tech in Long Space Trip segment next describes the processing and preparing of food on the planet Mars. The Food Tech in Long Space Tripsegment also discusses some of the issues with food like food preparation time, food preparation tools, weight of food, weight of food processing machines, what nutrition astronauts will need to maintain healthy bodies and the effects of radiation on food. The Food Tech in Long Space Trip segment ends with a Did You Know? segment describing the first time solid food was eaten in space. NASA Destination Tomorrow Eating In Space segment contains the How it Works segment in which Astronaut Michael Foale describes what eating in space is like. This video is part two of a two part series discussing Food Technology and how it is used by NASA.
NASA Destination Tomorrow video containing four segments as described below. NASA Destination Tomorrow segment describing the different parts of NASA missions to prepare for the exploration of space. NASA Destination Tomorrow segment beginning with a look at NASA history. The segment next describes the robotic missions to Mars and discusses some of the concerns with space travel. NASA Destination Tomorrow segment explaining the challenges that astronauts face with prolonged exposure to the space environment. This segment also explores issues such as radiation, gravity, duration of missions and food supply. NASA Destination Tomorrow segment explaining the challenges that astronauts face with living and working on other planets.
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