Paul Skyes Memorial Lecture - "Saturn's Cassini Science Highlights"

The lecture begins at 7:30pm at SFU's Burnaby campus, Saywell Hall, room SWH10081 (see map here (http://files.meetup.com/1276587/SFU-SWH10081-Directions.pdf)). RASC events are open to the public, family friendly, and free of charge.

Going out in a Blaze of Glory: Cassini Science Highlights and the Grand Finale

The Cassini mission’s findings have revolutionized our understanding of Saturn, its complex rings, the amazing assortment of moons and the planet’s dynamic magnetic environment. The robotic spacecraft arrived in 2004 after a 7-year flight from Earth, dropped a parachuted probe named Huygens to study the atmosphere and surface of Saturn’s big moon Titan, and commenced making astonishing discoveries that continue today.

Cassini’s current mission extension has led to some remarkable discoveries and more are expected when Cassini repeatedly dives between the innermost ring and the top of Saturn’s atmosphere during its final six months starting in April 2017. It will be the first spacecraft to explore this region, providing insights into fundamental questions unattainable during the rest of the mission. Cassini will send back its final bits of unique data on September 15, 2017 as it plunges into Saturn’s atmosphere, vaporizing to protect tiny Enceladus, one of Saturn’s ocean worlds.

What new puzzles will Cassini solve before it plunges into Saturn’s atmosphere rather than risk crashing into one of Saturn’s ocean worlds and contaminating it? Come and hear the story of recent science discoveries and the upcoming excitement during the final orbits. Dr. Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist, will present highlights of Cassini’s ambitious inquiry at Saturn and an overview of science observations in the final orbits.

This flagship mission is a cooperative undertaking by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian space agency Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI).

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Dr. Linda Spilker is a NASA research scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA. She is currently the Cassini Project Scientist and a Co-Investigator on the Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer team and has worked on Cassini since 1988. Since joining JPL almost 40 years ago, she has worked on the Voyager Project, the Cassini Project, and conducted independent research on the origin and evolution of planetary ring systems. She enjoys yoga and hiking in National Parks, including her favourite park, Yosemite. She is married, with three daughters and five grandchildren. She received her B.A. from Cal State Fullerton, her M.S. from Cal State Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. from UCLA.