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Minutes ago the Cassini-Huygens probe sent to Saturn over 20 years ago entered Saturn's atmosphere. Called "The Grand Finale", the leap into the gas giant was initiated to remove even that minimal chance that Cassini could contaminate Enceladus or Titan who might harbor life.
Over that time, Cassini has expanded our way of thinking about so many topics - how our Solar System formed, how it works, what does it mean for us, humans. We sent that little, great spacecraft so far from home, had it orbit a beautiful planet in cold and loneliness - only to have it burn up like a shooting star.
It sent photos that were beyond marvelous, and it's these photos I'd like us to share. Rest well, Cassini, since you have done well and perhaps inspired an entire generation of soon-to-be explorers, adventurers, philosophers, scientists. Dreamers.
