Universe Today
In 1997, the NASA/ESA
Cassini-Huygens
mission launched from Earth and began its long journey towards the Saturn system. In 2004, the
Cassini
orbiter arrived around Saturn and would spend the next thirteen years studying the gas giant, its rings, and its system of Moons. On
September 15th, 2017
, the mission ended when the probe entered Saturn's upper atmosphere and burned up.
This was known as Cassini's "
Grand Finale
", which began with the probe plunging into the unexplored region that lies between Saturn's atmosphere and its rings and culminated with live coverage of it entering the atmosphere. In honor of the mission and NASA's outstanding coverage of its final months, NASA was
recently nominated for an Emmy Award
by The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
The award is in the category of
Outstanding Original Interactive Program
, which recognizes the JPL's multi-month digital campaign that celebrated the mission's science and engineering accomplishments - which included news, web, education, television and social media efforts. It is also a nod to the agency's success in communicating why the spacecraft concluded its mission in the skies of Saturn.
Essentially, the spacecraft was intentionally destroyed in Saturn's atmosphere to prevent the possibility of it contaminating any of Saturn's moons. Throughout the thirteen years it spent studying the Saturn system,
Cassini
found compelling evidence for the possible existence of life on Titan and in Enceladus' interior ocean. In addition, scientists have speculated that there may be interior oceans within Rhea and Dione.
In this respect,
Cassini
ended its mission the same way the
Galileo probe
did in 2003. After spending 8 years studying Jupiter and its system the moons, the probe crashed into the gas giant's upper atmosphere in order to prevent any possible contamination of Europa or Ganymede, which are also thought to have an interior oceans that could support life.
The "Grand Finale" campaign began on April 26th, 2017, and continued until the craft entered Saturn's atmosphere on Sept. 15th, 2017, with the spacecraft sending back science to the very last second. The campaign utilized several different forms of media, was interactive, and was very comprehensive, providing regular updates and vital information about the mission.
As NASA
indicated
on their Cassini website:
The short film, titled "
For Your Consideration: The NASA Cassini Grand Finale
", showcases the missions many accomplishments, pays tribute to all those who made it happen and who helped inform the public and communicate the importance of the mission.
The Primetime Emmys will be awarded be on September 17th in Los Angeles. The Creative Arts Emmys, which includes interactive awards, will be presented during a separate ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 15th, at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. Other contenders include
Back to the Moon
, a Google Spotlight Stories App;
Blade Runner 2049: Memory Lab
,
Coco VR
, and
Spiderman Homecoming
, three Oculus VR experiences.
And be sure to check out the videos, FYC: NASA Cassini Grand Finale, below:
Further Reading: NASA
