Projects: Space Information
The Planetary Report
Volume XXIV, Number 5, September/October 2004
Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute |
On the Cover
Saturn wears a halo of four moons in this Wide-Angle Camera image taken by Cassini on
August 18, 2004. The satellites visible in this picture are (clockwise from
upper left): Tethys, Dione, Enceladus, and Mimas. This portrait was captured
in visible red light at a distance of 8.9 million kilometers (5.5 million
miles) from the planet. This black and white image was colored blue and gold.
From The Editor
In this column, it seems like I nearly always write about either grand successes
or gut-wrenching failures. Planetary exploration places such great demands
on the people who carry it out that either type of outcome arouses great emotion
in the people who cheer the missions on. We’ve been on such an emotional
roller coaster the last few months with the spectacular success of Cassini at
Saturn and the shocking crash of Genesis as it returned to Earth
with its samples of the solar wind.
We always say that there is value in failure, for it points out mistakes
that can be corrected and teaches us to be humble as we try to extend our
reach beyond Earth. The people who explore planets are a very clever and resilient
lot, and as we are seeing with Genesis, they are often able to pull
a viable rabbit out of an extremely crumpled hat.
Among our own Planetary Society projects, we’ve had a disappointment
in our search for vulcanoids, as you’ll read in an upcoming issue. But
we are recovering and moving on, looking forward to the impending launch of Cosmos
1, our solar sail, and to celebrating the arrival of the Huygens probe
at Titan.
If we are serious about exploring the worlds around us, we can’t be
deterred by failure. And we won’t be. Together, we shall push on.
— Charlene M. Anderson
Features
Robots, Not Humans, on Mars
The Planetary Society has been making a lot of noise supporting the US
Moon-to-Mars initiative—we’ve testified before Congress, launched
a petition campaign, and funded key studies to help define steps toward
sending humans to Mars. However, not every member agrees we should send
humans to Mars—at least, not yet. Here, longtime member Andy
Ingersoll urges The Planetary Society to prioritize scientific exploration over human
exploration of Mars.
Out of This World Books
Planetary Society book reviews are back by popular demand and just in time
for the holiday season! We are excited to share with you some of our favorite
space-related books. From children’s guides to the solar system to
the complete NASA Mars mission reports to popular books about Mars and searching
for alien life, there is something for everyone.
Cassini Captain's Log: 2004.184
On June 30, 2004, when Cassini flawlessly navigated Saturn’s
complex ring system and braked into orbit around the spectacular gas giant,
Carolyn Porco, the spacecraft’s Imaging Team leader, was nearly too
moved for words. The following night, Carolyn created a Captain’s Log,
chronicling her thoughts and experiences during Cassini’s initial
days in orbit. Here, she shares her personal account of how it felt to finally
reach the lord of the rings and shows off some of the best images so far of
the awe-inspiring ringed planet.
DEPARTMENTS
Members’ Dialogue
We Make It Happen!
Society News
World Watch
Questions and Answers
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