Jun 30 2004
From The Space Library
Cassini-Huygens became the first spacecraft to successfully navigate Saturn's rings and to orbit the planet. A joint project of ESA, the Italian Space Agency, and NASA, the mission comprised two spacecraft: the orbiter Cassini and the probe Huygens. The space agencies had planned for Cassini to conduct 76 orbits of Saturn during a four-year survey of the planet and its moons. They had designed the Huygens probe to analyze the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. If the probe survived its descent to Titan, it would analyze the moon's surface, as well. (ESA, “Cassini-Huygens Enters Orbit Around the Ringed Planet,” ESA news release 36-2004, 1 July 2004; Guy Gugliotta, “Cassini First To Orbit Saturn,” Washington Post, 1 July 2004.
American astronaut E. Michael Fincke and Russian cosmonaut Gennady I. Padalka successfully completed repairs to the ISS during a much-delayed spacewalk lasting 6 hours. Among the numerous repairs that Fincke and Padalka completed were the replacement of a faulty circuit breaker and the restoration of power to a gyroscope that helped stabilize the ISS. The ISS partners had rescheduled the spacewalk from 24 June 2004 because of problems with the crew members' spacesuits. (Mark Carreau, “Finally, Spacewalk a Success,” Houston Chronicle, 1 July 2004; NASA, “International Space Station Status Report,” news release SS04-0 18, 1 July 2004.
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