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NASA/JPL
To Saturn We'll Go...
News story originally written on October 10, 1997
The Cassini mission has received a "GO" for launch. Cassini will be launched from Florida on October 13, 1997.
The Cassini probe will travel 7 years to reach Saturn. When it arrives it will study Saturn's moons and rings. The spacecraft carries 12 scientific experiments that will help scientists to understand Saturn's atmosphere and its magnetic field.
The Cassini spacecraft will also carry an atmospheric probe that will parachute into Titan's atmosphere. Titan is Saturn's largest moon. Its thick atmosphere is nitrogen-based like the Earth's. Scientists are hoping to make connections between the Earth and Titan.
The Cassini mission is a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency. The main mission will end in July 2008.
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