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`Live' Telecast of Saturn Mission

Posted on: Thursday, 1 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

AFTER witnessing the historic Mars landing, National Geographic Channel viewers will yet again get special access to space exploration when the channel crosses "live" to the Nasa satellite feed to cover the flight of the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft as it begins its four-year mission to orbit Saturn.

Catch Mission: Saturn on the channel tomorrow from 9.30am to 12.30pm, followed by a one-hour prime-time telecast from 10pm to 11pm.

Cassini-Huygens will fire its main engine to reduce speed, allowing the spacecraft to be captured by Saturn's gravity and enter orbit tomorrow. The spacecraft will then begin a tour of the ringed plane, its mysterious moons, the stunning rings and its complex magnetic environment.

During the Saturn tour, Cassini-Huygens will complete 76 orbits of the planet, 45 close flybys of the mysterious moon Titan, and numerous flybys of Saturn's other icy moons.

During the "live" telecast, viewers will witness the minute-to- minute action and briefings at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and, if all goes well, the crossing of Saturn's ring plane during the spacecraft's critical Saturn orbit insertion sequence.

David Gunson, National Geographic Channel Asia's programming and broadcasting vice-president, said: "The channel is always going further to bring viewers closer to groundbreaking expeditions related to science and exploration. Following the success of our global television premiere Mission: Mars, we are delighted to continue to be on the cusp of cutting- edge science with Mission: Saturn.

"It is a thrill for us to share history in the making - `live' as it happens - with our viewers."

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