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LORD OF THE RINGS ; After 7 Years and 2.2billion Miles, Probe Reaches Saturn

Posted on: Friday, 2 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

A SPACECRAFT the size of a school bus yesterday began its historic mission to explore Saturn and its moons.

Scientists were delighted when the Cassini probe slipped between two of the giant planet's rings to settle into orbit.

Charles Elachi, the director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab, said: 'I can tell you it feels awfully good to be in orbit around the lord of the rings.'

At the European Space Agency HQ in Germany, excited scientists watched as the probe's engines fired to slow it down enough to take its position 12,500 miles above Saturn.

ESA spokesman Gaele Winters said: 'It's captured in a safe orbit around Saturn now and it's right on target it's perfect.'

The pounds 1.6billion joint US-European mission, in which Britain played a key role, is the most complex unmanned space expedition ever.

Since its launch in 1997, the probe has hurtled across 2.2billion miles of space at 70,700mph to meet its date with destiny.

In addition to 74 orbits of Saturn, the four-year mission will include the most distant landing on an interplanetary body ever attempted.

In December, the Huygens lander will be detached to land on Saturn's moon Titan where it is expected to splash down into a sea of liquid methane.

The mission will also see the probe have close encounters with seven of Saturn's 31 known moons.

And scientists hope to learn how the planet's famous rings came into being.

The importance of the mission was emphasised by Professor Ian Halliday of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council.

He said: 'We stand on the threshold of a wealth of scientific discovery as we unveil Saturn's secrets.'

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