Titan Flyby (T-89): Cassini’s Continuing Search for Subsurface Oceans

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T-89: Cassini’s Continuing Search for Subsurface Oceans

On Feb. 17, 2013 (Feb. 16, 5:57 p.m. PST), the Cassini spacecraft performed a gravity-measuring flyby of Titan, one of only four in the entire Solstice mission.

During the Solstice mission, a main science objective was to measure Titan’s gravitational field in order to confirm or deny the presence of an underground ocean. Additional radio science (RSS) gravity observations are needed both to answer this question and to help determine if Titan’s crust is thick and rigid, or thin.

Titan Flyby at a Glance

Date
Feb. 17, 2013

Altitude
1,229 miles (1,978 km)

Speed
13,000 mph (5.8 km/sec)