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{html} <script src="http://www.apple.com/library/quicktime/2.0/scripts/prototype.js" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <script src="http://www.apple.com/library/quicktime/2.0/scripts/qtp_poster.js" language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript"></script> <link href="http://www.apple.com/library/quicktime/2.0/stylesheets/qtp_poster.css" rel="StyleSheet" type="text/css" /> {html} !csfad_logo.gif! !the_targets.gif! *The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest is your chance to tell us where you think the cameras on Cassini should be pointed during upcoming observations.* The NASA science planning team designed three possible observation opportunities. Each of the three has scientific merit, and in fact Cassini will image all three. !targets_horizontal.gif! Your assignment is to decide which of these three targets would yield the best science return -- and to write an essay explaining your reasons and what you hope to learn from these images. The winning NZ essays will be evaluated by Cassini scientists and educators. There will be a winner for each target in each age category. Thank you for your interest in the Cassini mission, and good luck with your essays -- we look forward to hearing from you! h2. Target 1: A close-up view of the moon Rhea {html} |
The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest is your chance to tell us where you think the cameras on Cassini should be pointed during upcoming observations.
The NASA science planning team designed three possible observation opportunities. Each of the three has scientific merit, and in fact Cassini will image all three.
Your assignment is to decide which of these three targets would yield the best science return – and to write an essay explaining your reasons and what you hope to learn from these images.
The winning NZ essays will be evaluated by Cassini scientists and educators. There will be a winner for each target in each age category. Thank you for your interest in the Cassini mission, and good luck with your essays – we look forward to hearing from you!
Target 1: A close-up view of the moon Rhea
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<a href="http://media.spacefoundation.org.nz/cassini/Cassini-Target-1.mov" rel="qtposter" jscontroller="false"><img src="http://media.spacefoundation.org.nz/cassini/Cassini-Target-1.jpg" width="854" height="496"/></a>
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Rhea
...
is
...
a
...
very
...
interesting
...
moon:
...
one
...
side
...
is
...
very
...
bright
...
and
...
heavily
...
cratered,
...
while
...
the
...
other
...
side
...
has
...
bright
...
wispy
...
streaks
...
on
...
a
...
darker
...
background,
...
and
...
fewer
...
craters.
...
It
...
is
...
Saturn's
...
second-largest
...
moon.
...
It
...
is
...
unusually
...
light
...
for
...
it's
...
size,
...
so
...
we
...
think
...
it
...
might
...
have
...
a
...
lot
...
of
...
ice.
...
One
...
of
...
the
...
big
...
mysteries
...
of
...
Rhea
...
is
...
whether
...
or
...
not
...
it
...
has
...
rings.
...
Observations
...
by
...
Cassini's
...
particles
...
and
...
fields
...
instruments
...
of
...
the
...
region
...
around
...
Rhea
...
show
...
variations
...
that
...
some
...
scientists
...
think
...
may
...
be
...
caused
...
by
...
very
...
thin
...
rings
...
of
...
dust
...
around
...
the
...
moon.
...
However,
...
we
...
have
...
not
...
been
...
able
...
to
...
see
...
these
...
rings
...
directly
...
with
...
our
...
cameras,
...
so
...
other
...
scientists
...
remain
...
unconvinced.
...
Target
...
2:
...
A
...
video
...
of
...
Titan,
...
Tethys
...
and
...
Enceladus
...
dancing
...
under
...
Saturn's
...
rings
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} <a href="http://media.spacefoundation.org.nz/cassini/Cassini-Target-2.mov" rel="qtposter" jscontroller="false"><img src="http://media.spacefoundation.org.nz/cassini/Cassini-Target-2.jpg" width="854" height="496"/></a> {html} |
In
...
this
...
observation,
...
the
...
Narrow
...
Angle
...
Camera
...
will
...
be
...
pointed
...
at
...
Titan,
...
Saturn's
...
largest
...
moon.
...
Titan
...
will
...
be
...
at
...
the
...
center
...
of
...
the
...
field
...
of
...
view
...
and
...
Saturn's
...
rings
...
will
...
also
...
be
...
visible,
...
edge-on,
...
near
...
the
...
top
...
of
...
the
...
image.
...
While
...
this
...
would
...
be
...
great
...
in
...
itself,
...
the
...
amazing
...
thing
...
is
...
that
...
two
...
other
...
very
...
interesting
...
moons,
...
Tethys
...
and
...
Enceladus,
...
will
...
also
...
be
...
crossing
...
the
...
field
...
of
...
view
...
during
...
the
...
observation!
...
Cassini
...
will
...
take
...
66
...
images
...
of
...
this
...
out-of-this
...
world
...
scene,
...
allowing
...
scientists
...
to
...
put
...
together
...
a
...
short
...
video
...
of
...
these
...
three
...
moons.
...
I
...
think
...
Target
...
2
...
is
...
the
...
best
...
observation
...
because
...
it
...
includes
...
three
...
of
...
the
...
most
...
intriguing
...
moons
...
orbiting
...
Saturn,
...
and
...
a
...
shot
...
of
...
the
...
rings.
...
Titan
...
has
...
a
...
dense
...
atmosphere
...
and
...
organic
...
materials
...
that
...
may
...
resemble
...
a
...
frozen
...
early
...
Earth;
...
Tethys
...
is
...
mostly
...
water
...
ice
...
and
...
has
...
a
...
huge
...
crater
...
– almost
...
half
...
of
...
its
...
diameter;
...
Enceladus
...
has
...
active
...
ice
...
geysers
...
that
...
feed
...
one
...
of
...
Saturn's
...
rings.
...
Target
...
3:
...
A
...
video
...
capturing
...
a
...
day
...
on
...
Saturn.
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} <a href="http://media.spacefoundation.org.nz/cassini/Cassini-Target-3.mov" rel="qtposter" jscontroller="false"><img src="http://media.spacefoundation.org.nz/cassini/Cassini-Target-3.jpg" width="854" height="496"/></a> {html} |
Target
...
3,
...
a
...
day
...
on
...
Saturn,
...
is
...
especially
...
interesting
...
because
...
Saturn's
...
rotation
...
rate
...
is
...
unknown.
...
The
...
Voyager
...
and
...
Cassini
...
spacecraft
...
measured
...
different
...
rotation
...
rates.
...
Cassini
...
has
...
observed
...
Saturn's
...
rotation
...
to
...
be
...
longer
...
than
...
the
...
previously
...
accepted
...
value
...
determined
...
by
...
Voyager.
...
Furthermore,
...
Saturn's
...
interior
...
rotation
...
rate
...
has
...
not
...
been
...
directly
...
measured,
...
as
...
there
...
is
...
currently
...
no
...
definitive
...
way
...
to
...
do
...
so.
...
Saturn's
...
rotation
...
is
...
also
...
difficult
...
to
...
measure
...
because
...
its
...
large
...
hazy
...
atmospheric
...
features,
...
including
...
clouds
...
and
...
storms,
...
shift
...
with
...
respect
...
to
...
each
...
other.
...
Over
...
a
...
12-hour
...
period,
...
the
...
Wide
...
Angle
...
Camera
...
on
...
board
...
Cassini
...
will
...
be
...
taking
...
images
...
every
...
27
...
minutes.
...
These
...
images
...
will
...
be
...
used
...
to
...
create
...
a
...
27-frame
...
full
...
color
...
time-lapse
...
movie,
...
which
...
will
...
provide
...
a
...
detailed
...
view
...
of
...
Saturn's
...
full
...
rotation.