Subject: "Cassini" Heads for Higher Inclinations at Saturn
From: Daniel Adamo <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 16 Jan 2016 08:25:01 -0700

ATIG Members-

Happy 2016!  During most of 2015, NASA's Cassini spacecraft orbited Saturn
very near the planet's equatorial plane.  This enabled close flybys of moons
other than Saturn's largest (Titan), including Enceladus with its ice
geysers (ref. 
http://planetaria.ca/2015/02/cassini-data-indicates-enceladus-ocean-similar-
to-soda-lakes-on-earth/).  Cassini began departing Saturn's equator to
progressively greater inclinations the evening of 2016 Jan 15 (U.S. local
time) with its 115th targeted Titan flyby (T-115) since achieving orbit
about Saturn in 2004.  The effects of T-115 on Cassini's Saturn-centered
motion are illustrated in the attached trajectory plot.

The gravity assist associated with T-115 increased Cassini's orbit
inclination with respect to Saturn's equatorial plane from 1.3 deg to 4.1
deg.  It also increased Cassini's orbit period from 12.85 days to 15.95
days.  The orbit period of Titan is 15.95 days, so Cassini is, for the time
being, in a 1 : 1 resonance with this moon and its power to further evolve
the spacecraft's orbit.  For details on where Cassini is headed next, see
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/saturntourdates/.

-Dan