Cassini Mission to Saturn

Unveiling Saturn’s Scientific Mysteries

Cassini will spend four years in orbit around the sixth

planet from the Sun, studying all aspects of the Saturn system.

Some of the scientific questions Cassini will address include:

• Saturn — What is the nature of the atmosphere below the

cloudtops? How do Saturnian storms start and die out?

How do the polar regions differ from the equator? What is

Saturn’s interior like?

• Titan — What is Titan’s surface like? Is there liquid on the

surface? Does it rain? What are Titan’s wind speeds and

directions? How much sunlight reaches the surface? Could

life ever exist there?

• Rings — What, aside from ice particles, makes up the rings?

How big and how small are ring particles? How do rings

form and change? Are there more moons hidden in the

rings?

• Icy satellites — How did these moons form and evolve?

Why do some moons share the same orbits? Why is Iapetus

half bright and half dark? Are some of the moons captured

asteroids?

• Magnetosphere — What kinds of particles exist in the

magnetosphere? Do these particles change with time? How

Blending the Old and New

The Cassini mural is a wonderful depiction of

the mythological story of Saturn combined with

images of space-age exploration. In the upper left, the

Roman god Saturn (the ancient symbol of time), is

drawing back a veil to allow the Cassini spacecraft to

reveal the mysteries of the sixth planet. In the center

of the image, the Cassini spacecraft is seen firing its

main engine to brake into orbit around Saturn on

July 1, 2004. Beneath the spacecraft, the rings unfold

as a vast sheet of orbiting particles.

In the lower left of the image, the Huygens probe

is descending into the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s

largest moon. In the foreground, the orbiter points its

large high-gain antenna toward Titan, collecting

probe data for relay back to Earth.

Creativity in Action

The Cassini mural was painted by eight young

master painters at an art academy in east Los

Angeles, California. The academy — the Academia

de Arte Yepes — gives promising young Hispanic

painters an opportunity to develop their talents and

skills at mural design without being burdened with

tuition costs, while maintaining their normal home,

school, and community duties. Working with Cassini

Project personnel, the painters created a mural that is

a stunning blend of art and science. The eight artists

were Ulysses Garcia (lead artist), Gabriel Estrada,

Abel Gonzales, Daniel Gonzales, Octavio Gonzales,

Francisco Vasquez, Juan Solis, and Rebeca Robles.

Saturn

THE I MYTH I O F

UNVEILING

does the magnetosphere interact with the rings and moons?

Why is Saturn’s magnetic field orientation different from

that of the other planets?

Getting There Is Half the Fun

On October 15, 1997, the Cassini spacecraft began its

journey to Saturn. Cassini was launched aboard a Titan IV B

with a solid rocket motor upgrade (SRMU). This is the largest

expendable launch vehicle in the U.S. fleet, capable of

lifting 5,770 kilograms (12,700 pounds) into low-Earth orbit.

Even using a launch vehicle with such a large lift capability,

the spacecraft was too heavy to go directly to Saturn. The

spacecraft was launched onto a path that takes it past three

planets — Venus (twice), Earth, and Jupiter. Using the

gravity of the planets to change the speed and direction of

the spacecraft, these “swingbys” supply about the same

amount of rocket power as the Titan launcher has, while

using very little of Cassini’s onboard rocket fuel. Cassini

arrives at Saturn on July 1, 2004.

Deep Space Maneuver

December 3, 1998

Saturn Arrival

July 1, 2004

Jupiter Swingby

December 30, 2000

Launch from Earth

October 15, 1997

Earth Swingby

August 18, 1999

Earth Orbit

Venus Orbit

Venus Swingby

April 26, 1998

Venus Swingby

June 24, 1999
The Cassini Spacecraft

 A Flying Science Laboratory

The Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe are designed

to conduct a series of scientific investigations of the planet

Saturn, its rings, magnetosphere, icy satellites, and Titan

(Saturn’s largest satellite). The mission is a joint effort of the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the

European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency

(ASI). The Cassini mission is managed for NASA by the Jet

Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), California Institute of Technology.

Data will be collected using a variety of instruments. All

together, the Cassini orbiter carries 12 science investigations

and the Huygens probe carries six science investigations. In

addition to the science instruments aboard Cassini, the

spacecraft contains solid-state (chip) recorders for data collection and storage, computers to process commands sent

from Earth and to conduct spacecraft operations, navigation equipment, communications equipment, propellant

to keep the spacecraft on the desired flight path, power

sources to operate all the onboard electronics, and a host

of other engineering support equipment. In total, there

are 12 engineering subsystems on the spacecraft. As a

result, the spacecraft is very large. When Cassini was

launched, it weighed 5,574 kilograms (12,263 pounds).

Cassini stands over 22 feet tall — comparable in size

to a small school bus.

Cassini Orbiter Investigation Area of Study at Saturn

Cassini Plasma Spectrometer (CAPS) Explores plasma within and near Saturn’s magnetic field.

Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) Studies temperatures and compositions of Saturn and its moons and rings.

Cosmic Dust Analyzer (CDA) Studies ice and dust grains in and near the Saturn system.

Dual Technique Magnetometer (MAG) Studies Saturn’s magnetic field and its interactions with the rings, the moons, and

the solar wind.

Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS) Takes pictures in visible, near-ultraviolet, and near-infrared light.

Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) Studies extended atmospheres and ionospheres of Saturn, Titan, and icy satellites.

Magnetospheric Imaging Instrument (MIMI) Takes images of the distribution of charged particles in and near Saturn’s magnetic field.

Radar Maps the surface of Titan and measures the height of its surface features.

Radio and Plasma Wave Science (RPWS) Investigates plasma waves, natural emissions of radio energy, and dust.

Radio Science Subsystem (RSS) Searches for gravitational waves; measures masses and structures of atmospheres.

Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) Studies structure, chemistry, and composition of atmospheres, surfaces, and rings.

Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS) Identifies chemical composition of atmospheres, surfaces, and rings.

Saturn casts a shadow across the rings. Image taken in

November 1980 by Voyager 1.

Low-Gain Antenna

(1 of 2)

Radar Bay

Radioisotope

Thermoelectric

Generator (1 of 3)

Fields and Particles

Pallet

Huygens Titan Probe

445-newton Engine

(1 of 2)

Remote-Sensing

Pallet

Radio and Plasma

Wave Subsystem

Antenna (1 of 3)

11-meter

Magnetometer Boom

4-meter High-Gain Antenna
The Huygens Probe

Mission to Saturn’s Largest Moon

The Huygens probe was built and is managed by

the European Space Agency. The probe’s six science

investigations are designed to study the atmosphere

and surface of the moon Titan by conducting detailed

measurements. The Huygens probe weighs 350 kilograms (770 pounds), and the heat shield is 2.7 meters

(8.9 feet) in diameter.

Free-Falling to Titan

Huygens does not carry any rocket motors. On

December 25, 2004 — during Cassini’s third orbit

around Saturn — the Huygens probe will be released

from the orbiter and coast for 20 days before reaching

Titan. The probe will enter Titan’s atmosphere at a speed

in excess of 6 kilometers (3.73 miles) per second. A

rounded, conical heat shield protects the probe during

its entry and initial slowing in Titan’s atmosphere. The

heat shield is then released and a pilot parachute

deploys that will slow down the probe.

Less than two minutes after entering Titan’s

atmosphere, the probe’s speed will slow to 400 meters

(1,312.3 feet) per second. At this point, the pilot

parachute and aft cover are released and the main

parachute, which measures 8.3 meters (27.23 feet) in

diameter, is deployed.

The main parachute is too large to allow the probe

to reach the surface before Huygens’ batteries wear out.

Therefore, after 15 minutes, the main parachute is

jettisoned and a 3-meter-diameter (9.84-foot-diameter)

stabilizer parachute is deployed. The probe will reach the

surface about 2.5 hours after entering Titan’s atmosphere.

Huygens Probe Investigation Area of Study at Titan

Aerosol Collector and Pyrolyser (ACP) Collects Titan’s aerosols for chemical composition analysis.

Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) Makes spectral measurements and takes pictures of Titan’s surface and

atmospheric hazes.

Doppler Wind Experiment (DWE) Uses radio signals to deduce wind speeds on Titan.

Gas Chromatograph/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS) Identifies and quantifies various atmospheric constituents on Titan.

Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI) Measures the physical and electrical properties of the Titan atmosphere.

Surface Science Package (SSP) Determines the physical properties of Titan’s surface.

Detail of the probe’s interior showing investigations on both sides.

Gas Chromatograph/

Mass Spectrometer

(GCMS)

Huygens Atmospheric

Structure Instrument (HASI)

Doppler Wind Experiment (DWE)

Descent Imager/

Spectral Radiometer (DISR)

Aerosol Collector

and Pyrolyser (ACP)

Surface Science

Package (SSP)

1000

500

300

192

170

0

0 2.5

Main Chute Deploys

Stabilizer Chute Deploys

Heat Shield

Jettisons

Instruments’

Inlet Port

Opens

Time, Hours After Entry

Altitude, kilometers

Probe and Heat Shield

Pilot Chute Deploys
Saturn System Facts and Figures

A Fascination with Saturn

Saturn is the sixth planet from the Sun. Best known for

its vast ring system, Saturn has long captured the imagination

of humankind. Saturn was the most distant planet known to

ancient sky observers. It is the second largest planet in the

Solar System. Saturn has an atmosphere composed primarily

of hydrogen, and its magnetosphere is unlike that of any

other planet. Saturn emits 79 percent more energy than it

receives from the Sun. The planet’s average density is less than

that of water — it would float in a giant bathtub! Orbiting

around the planet are Titan (the only moon in the Solar

System known to have a thick, nitrogen-rich atmosphere),

29 or more smaller moons, and an expansive ring system.

Saturn is clearly one of the most fascinating places to study.

Saturn’s Wild Winds

Saturn has the second-fastest sustained winds in the

Solar System. At the equator, sustained wind speeds have

been clocked at 500 meters per second; that’s 1,100 miles

per hour! By comparison, a jet airplane travels at an average

speed of 550 miles per hour; Earth’s strongest hurricane

(cyclone) winds top out at around 220 miles per hour; a

tsunami travels across the open water at 550 miles per hour;

and the speed of sound at 30,000 feet is 660 miles per hour.

Just Another Smoggy Afternoon on Titan

Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a thick

atmosphere. Titan’s atmosphere is composed mostly of nitrogen (between 90 and 97 percent) with the remaining components being methane, other hydrocarbons, and other trace

gases. By comparison, Earth’s atmosphere is also composed

mainly of nitrogen, but nitrogen accounts for only 78 percent

of Earth’s atmosphere: the remainder is oxygen (21 percent)

and traces of other gases. These similarities between the atmospheres of Earth and Titan have led scientists to hypothesize

that Titan’s atmosphere is reminiscent of Earth’s atmosphere

shortly after our home planet was formed.

Titan’s atmosphere is 10 times deeper than Earth’s.

While Earth’s surface is visible from space, Titan’s thick haze

at 200 kilometers (120 miles) above the surface obscures the

surface from view. Titan’s atmosphere appears yellow-orange

in images because the nitrogen and methane in the atmosphere produce photochemical haze (or smog).

Understanding the Saturn System

Saturn’s collection of moons spans a range from within

the main rings out almost 13 million kilometers (about

8 million miles) from the planet. Saturn’s rings extend from

near the top of its atmosphere to about one-half million

kilometers (about 300 thousand miles) away. The inner

rings, from the planet outward, are known as D, C, B, A, F,

and G, and are only a few hundred meters thick. The

outermost E ring is much thicker, like a donut.

Titan Physical Facts

Distance from Saturn 1,222,000 kilometers

(759,560 miles)

Orbital Period around Saturn 15.94 days

Diameter 5,150 kilometers (3200 miles)

(40% the size of Earth but still

larger than Mercury or Pluto)

Mass 1.37 × 10 23 kilograms

Average Density 1.88 grams/cubic centimeter

Temperature at Surface 95 kelvins (–178 °C or –288 °F)

Saturn Physical Facts

Average Distance from Sun 9.55 astronomical units (1,429.4 million

kilometers or 888 million miles)

Orbital Period around Sun 29.42 years

Rotation Period 10 hours, 40 minutes

Orbital Inclination 2.5 degrees (to the Ecliptic)

Diameter (at Equator) 120,660 kilometers (9 Earth diameters)

Diameter (at Poles) 107,629 kilometers (66,891 miles)

Mass 569 × 1024 kilograms (95 Earth masses)

Average Density 0.7 gram/cubic centimeter

(less than water!)

Gravity 1.06 (Earth = 1.00)

Albedo 0.5 (Earth’s varies between 0.3 and 0.5)

Escape Speed 36 kilometers/second

(Earth = 11.2 kilometers/second)

Temperature at Cloudtops 134 kelvins (–139 °C or –218 °F)
Mythology of Saturn

Who Was the God Saturn?

Since the earliest times, the Romans worshipped

Saturn as their god of agriculture. Later, when the Romans

accepted the Greek pantheon of gods, Saturn was identified

with Kronos. Eventually, Saturn became associated with

time and was often depicted with wings and a scythe. Until

the middle of the 19th century, the satellites of Saturn bore

numerical designations only. In 1847, John Herschel proposed that the satellites be named after Saturn’s brothers

and sisters, “the Titans and Titanesses.” However, the Titans

and Titanesses were brothers and sisters not of Saturn, but

of Kronos, Saturn’s Greek counterpart. Hesiod, Homer’s

younger contemporary, gives us the family history of the

tribe of the Titans. Using some of Hesiod’s own words,

here is an outline of the story.

In the beginning, there was Chaos, and after him came

Gaia (the Earth). Gaia’s first-born was Ouranos (the Sky),

the “one who matched her every dimension.” Gaia and

Ouranos became parents of Okeanos, Koios, Krios,

Hyperion, Iapetus, Theia, Rhea, Themis, Mnemosyne,

Phoebe, and Tethys. Gaia’s youngest-born was the “deviousdevising Kronos, most terrible of her children.” Hesiod assigned the name Titans to the 12 children. Kronos, upon

urging from Gaia, attacked his father Ouranos with the

sickle Gaia provided. Following the attack, Kronos became

the supreme ruler of the world.

Saturn’s Family Tree

Kronos took Rhea as his wife and they had five

children. Remembering the fate of his father, Kronos

swallowed each child right after it was born. Zeus was the

sixth-born. To save the baby, Rhea tricked her husband into

swallowing a stone instead, and Zeus survived to grow up.

At some later point, Kronos was made to regurgitate the

stone as well as the five children he swallowed. (Hesiod

does not say when and how this happened.) With his

siblings’ help, Zeus initiated a rebellion against Kronos and

the Titans. The Titans suffered a defeat in a terrible battle

during which “all earth was boiling.” Zeus imprisoned the

defeated gods in Tartaros, “a moldy place, at the uttermost

edges of the monstrous earth” and, along with his Olympian

allies, assumed the lordship over the world. Although

Kronos’ rule passed, it was long remembered as the golden

age of mankind, when people “lived as if they were gods,

their hearts free from all sorrow, without hard work or

pain.” Saturn, a Latin deity perhaps associated with farming,

received some of the attributes of Kronos. The Romans also

adopted the legend of the golden age. In their version,

Saturn was the king of Italy in the long-forgotten days

when, as in the age of Kronos, life was all play and no work.

Mythological Names of the Satellites of the

Planet Saturn

Atlas (AT-less)

 Son of Iapetus. After the defeat of the Titans, Zeus

ordered Atlas, “at earth’s uttermost places, near the sweetsinging Hesperides” to uphold the vault of the sky. Hesiod

refers to the Pillars of Hercules, the westernmost edge of the

world known to the ancient Greeks. Atlas was so strong that

he supported the weight of the Universe on his shoulders.

Calypso (kuh-LIP-soh)

A daughter of Tethys and Okeanos, an Okeanide.

Calypso, whose name means “I hide,” was a nymph who

lived alone on the island of Ogygia. In the course of the

Odysseus’ tortuous return to his home, Ithaca, his ship ran

aground on the fabled island of Ogygia. Odysseus kept her

company for seven years, after which he departed “on a

jointed raft.”

Dione (die-OH-nee)

Dione was an ocean nymph and possibly a daughter of

the Titan Atlas. Dione was loved by Zeus before he married

the goddess Hera. Dione became the mother of Zeus’

daughter, the Olympian goddess Aphrodite, called Venus

by the Romans. Some believe she later became a powerful

Earth goddess who ruled over both land and sea.

Enceladus (en-SELL-uh-duss)

A giant and son of the Titans, his name literally means

“battle-cry.” He was human in appearance except that he

had large snakes for feet! In the war between the Olympian

gods and the Titans, the goddess Athena struck Enceladus

with a large rock, then buried him alive under so much rock

that the island of Sicily was formed in what is now Italy.

Epimetheus (ep-ih-MEE-thee-us)

Son of Iapetus, brother of Prometheus, husband of

Pandora. Pictured as weak-minded, he is the one who lifted

the lid on Pandora’s jar that contained the misfortunes let

loose upon the world.
Helene (huh-LEE-nee)

 The divinely beautiful wife of Menelaos, the king of

Sparta, Helen (Helene) was abducted by Paris, the son of

Priam, the king of Troy. Over Helen, the Greeks fought the

all-destructive Trojan War. Helene’s brothers were Castor

and Pollux, the Gemini twins.

Hyperion (high-PEER-ee-on)

The fourth-born Titan, Hyperion’s name means

“dweller on high.” He was one of the older gods that ruled

before Zeus. He took for a wife his sister Theia. She was the

mother of the god Helios (the Sun), the goddess Selene (the

Moon), and the goddess Eos (the Dawn). Helios ruled before

Apollo, the Olympian god of the Sun. Selene ruled before

Artemis, the Olympian goddess of the Moon.

Iapetus (eye-APP-eh-tuss)

A Titan and the father of Atlas, Iapetus was also the

father of three Titans who judged the souls of the dead in

Hades: Menoetius, Prometheus, and Epimetheus. Iapetus

fought Zeus in the war between the Titans and the Olympian gods. He was vanquished and imprisoned with the

other Titans after they lost that war.

Janus (JANE-uss)

An exalted Roman god, a figure of great antiquity

and obscure origin, Janus is always represented as having

two faces, one looking forwards, the other backwards. He

presided over the past, present, and future, over gates,

doorways, entrances, and beginnings in general, and over

war and peace. At every sacrifice, in every prayer, he was

the first god invoked. When war was declared, the portals

to the sanctuary of Janus on the Forum were opened. They

were shut again on the declaration of peace.

Mimas (MY-muss)

Mimas was a giant and son of the Titans. During the

war in which Zeus and his kind conquered the Titans,

Mimas was killed by the crippled god Hephaestus (Vulcan

in Roman mythology). Hephaestus was a blacksmith and

poured molten metal from his forge onto Mimas, who became

petrified into a massive rocky hill.

Pan

Half-goat, half-human, the Arcadian Pan was worshipped

as the patron of shepherds and the personification of nature.

Pandora (pan-DOR-uh)

 She was a work of art transformed into a human, and

her name means “many gifts.” Zeus created Pandora to

punish mankind for Prometheus’ brazen acts of disobedience.

Pandora arrived equipped with a jar that contained all the

misfortunes, curses, and plagues. Once the lid was lifted, the

evil asserted itself in the world. “Hope was the only spirit that

stayed there, in the unbreakable closure of the jar, this was

the will of the cloud-gathering Zeus.”

Phoebe (FEE-bee)

Phoebe is another name for the goddess that the Greeks

called Artemis and the Romans called Diana. She was the

youthful goddess of Earth’s Moon, forests, wild animals, and

hunting. Sworn to chastity and independence, she never

married and was closely identified with her brother, Apollo.

Prometheus (pro-MEE-thee-uss)

Hesiod presents Prometheus, son of Iapetus, as an immortal who sided with the mortals and as a prankster who

liked to annoy his cousin Zeus. The ultimate annoyance was

stealing “the far-seen glory of weariless fire” and giving it to

mankind. For this, Zeus fastened Prometheus to a mountain

in the Caucasus, and he let loose on him “the wing-spread

eagle, and it was feeding on Prometheus’ imperishable liver,

which by night would grow back to size from which the

spread-winged bird had eaten in the daytime.”

Rhea (REE-uh)

Rhea was the wife of the Titan Kronos (Saturn) and the

mother of the Olympian gods Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, and the

goddesses Demeter, Hera, and Hestia.

Telesto (tel-LESS-toe)

A daughter of Tethys and Okeanos, an Okeanide. She

was a muse whose “specialty” has been forgotten.

Tethys (TEE-thiss)

The youngest of the Titanesses, Tethys married her

brother Okeanos, and bore him 3,000 Okeanides, the

“light-stepping” sea-nymphs, and “as many Rivers, the

murmurously running sons.”

Titan (TIE-ten)

A generic name for the children of Ouranos and Gaia.

In the Orphic version, the Titans are the ancestors of the

human race. The Titans devoured the limbs of Dionysus,

the son of Zeus, who intended the child to have dominion

over the world. Enraged, Zeus struck the Titans with

lightning. The fire burned them to ashes, and from the

ashes man was formed.

Follow-Up Activity

Almost all human cultures have their own names for,

and stories about, the Sun, the Moon, the planets, and the

stars. Collect sky and star myths of many cultures through

libraries, museums, observatories, the Internet, and by

speaking with persons from various cultures. Share the

star stories and have students discuss the similarities and

differences. For example, both ancient Arabs and Native

Americans imagined the constellation of the Big Dipper

as part of a large bear. Have students consider: if western

culture had used names for the stars and planets of, say,

Hindu gods or Australian spirits, would astronomical

research change? Would we in the 20th century view the

Universe differently? It’s clear that despite diverse visions

and interpretations, the composition of the Saturn system,

indeed the Solar System and beyond, remains dependent

on physical laws. The real Universe is accessible to scientific

observation and exploration, no matter what names we use.
Create a Titan Mural

The Value of a Mural

By integrating science, art, and history in this classroom

activity, students will gain a greater appreciation for all of

these subjects. The goal of this activity is to have students

create their own murals while applying mathematical

concepts of fractions and strengthening their research

skills. This activity can be done on individual, group, class,

or school-wide scales depending on the space and time

available for the project.

Steps Toward Building a Mural

1. Read and discuss the story of the creation of the Saturn

mural.

2. Read and discuss the mythology connected to Saturn. The

mythology section of this wallsheet provides a beginning;

students can perform independent or group research at

the library and on the Internet. Using good mythology

sources, students should prepare short summaries of the

mythological story of Saturn, the Titans, and Saturn’s

moons. These summaries will give the students the

background necessary to build an accurate mural. All

students should research the mythology surrounding the

moon Titan.

3. Have the students give short presentations on their

findings about Titan mythology.

4. Have the students or student teams design their murals.

One way to approach the mural design is to have the

students combine these four themes:

a) Facts about the Huygens probe.*

b) Titan mythology.

c) How the Huygens probe impacts everyday life —

what discoveries might Huygens make that could

change your everyday life?*

d) What the students think the Huygens probe will

discover about Titan.*

If the students are working together to build one

mural, have each group design one of the above themes.

The individual themes can then be integrated by a fifth

student team. Of course, there are many other possible

themes to incorporate into the mural; these are just some

suggestions for themes.

Adding a Math Component

Have the students create their mural on a grid sheet.

Here is one example for creating a mural using a 12-part

grid:

• 1/12 of the mural space — Information on the

Huygens probe.

• 2/12 of the mural space — Titan mythology.

• 3/12 of the mural space — How the Huygens probe

impacts daily life.

• 3/12 of the mural space — What the probe will discover.

• Remaining 3/12 of the mural space — Can be used to

incorporate other themes or provide smooth transitions

between themes.

An example on the next panel shows how a 12-part

layout might look. However, don’t have the students

draw a different picture in each square. A mural similar

to the Saturn mural has different themes, but is still just

one picture.

Notes for the students that will make researching

Titan mythology easier — Kronos (or Cronos) and Saturn are

one and the same. Look for the story of Saturn, and the

story of Titan will generally be included. If students are

using the Internet, the key words “Roman mythology” and

“Greek mythology” will elicit good resources.

Note to Educators — It is recommended that the

educator pre-select some Internet sites for the students to

use. Some Internet sites discussing mythology talk about

incest and infidelity and pictures may contain nudity.

Libraries often have books on mythology that are ageappropriate.

Extending the Activity

Ask the students to respond to this question: Now that

you have researched the mythology surrounding Titan and

Saturn, if new moons are discovered by the Cassini mission,

what should we name them? Why?

Follow-Up Activity

After the classroom teams have created their murals,

have students read about the Huygens team — information

can be found on the Cassini mission home page on the

World Wide Web at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini. Have

the students discuss what it might have been like building

a space probe to explore Saturn with people from around

the world.

Titan’s thick atmosphere hides the moon’s surface from the

camera on Voyager 2.

* Requires research.
Example of 12-part grid layout with themes.

Other

themes or

transition

between

themes

Other

themes or

transition

between

themes

Huygens

probe

Other

themes or

transition

between

themes

What do

you think

the Huygens

probe will

discover?

Titan

mythology

How does

the Huygens

probe affect

you?
Resources and References

Information about the Cassini Mission and Saturn

Cassini Outreach Office

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

4800 Oak Grove Drive

Pasadena, California 91109-8099

World Wide Web Sites

Numerous Web sites exist that contain information

about Saturn, Cassini, and other space-related subjects.

• Cassini Mission Homepage —

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini

• European Space Agency Homepage —

http://www.esrin.esa.it

• ESA’s Huygens Probe —

http://sci.esa.int/huygens

• Jet Propulsion Laboratory Homepage —

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

• NASA Homepage —

http://www.nasa.gov

• NASA Spacelink —

http://www.spacelink.nasa.gov

For Educators

NASA Materials

Educators can get NASA-produced audiovisual

materials from the NASA Central Operation of Resources

for Educators (CORE). Visit the CORE Web site at

http://core.nasa.gov. For a catalog of CORE products,

send a written request on school letterhead to:

NASA CORE

Lorain County Joint Vocational School

15181 Route 58 South

Oberlin, Ohio 44074

Telephone: (216) 774-1051 ext. 293 or 294

Educator Resource Centers

NASA provides many resources for educators. The

nationwide Educator Resource Centers (ERCs) provide

classroom materials, including publications, books, educational supplements, CD-ROMs, audiocassettes, videotapes,

slide sets, lithographs, posters, and other materials. To find

the ERC closest to you, go to NASA’s Spacelink Web site

and follow the link titled “Educational Services.”

Educational Standards

The Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning

(McREL) Web site (http://www.mcrel.org) yielded the following

standards and included benchmarks that may be applicable

to this activity.

• Primary (K–2) Mathematics Standard 2. Understands and

applies basic and advanced properties of the concepts

of numbers. Understands the concept of a unit and its

subdivision into equal parts (e.g., one object, such as a

candy bar, and its division into equal parts to be shared

among four people).

• Upper Elementary (3–5) Mathematics Standard 2. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the

concepts of numbers. Understands equivalent forms of basic

percents, fractions, and decimals (e.g., 1/2 is equivalent to

50% is equivalent to 0.5) and when one form of a number

might be more useful than another.

• Upper Elementary (3–5) Mathematics Standard 2. Understands and applies basic and advanced properties of the

concepts of numbers. Understands the relative magnitude of

whole numbers, fractions, decimals, and mixed numbers.

• Elementary School (K–4) Visual Arts Standard 3. Knows a

range of subject matter, symbols, and potential ideas in

the visual arts. Selects prospective ideas (e.g., formulated

thoughts, opinions, concepts) for works of art.

• Elementary (K–4) Visual Arts Standard 4. Understands

the visual arts in relation to history and cultures. Knows

how history, culture, and the visual arts can influence

each other.

• Middle School (5–8) Visual Arts Standard 4. Understands

the visual arts in relation to history and cultures. Understands the historical and cultural contexts of a variety of

art objects.

• High School (9–12) Visual Arts Standard 4. Understands

the visual arts in relation to history and cultures. Knows

a variety of historical and cultural contexts regarding

characteristics and purposes of works of art.

Acknowledgments

Special appreciation goes to Georgiann Delgadillo, Cassini Educator

Fellow, for developing the student activity portion of this wallsheet.

Georgiann is a middle school English teacher at East Valley School

District in Liberty Lake, Washington. The mythology text was provided

by Ladislav Roth of the Cassini Program at JPL and Virginia Gay

Simmons of the Folklore and Mythology Program and Archive at the

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Quotes in the mythology

text are from “Hesiod,” Theogony, translated by Richard Lattimore,

University of Michigan Press, 1959.

JPL 400-981 08/01

EW-2001-08-010-JPL

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

California Institute of Technology

Pasadena, California