The Cassini mission

An assessment study of a Saturn-Orbiter plus Titan-probe mission was made. The NASA Solar System Exploration Committee (SSEC) had recommended two separate missions to the Saturn system, in keeping with its charter to design low-cost, dedicated planetary missions. These were a Titan probe, to be carried by a small spacecraft that would include some type of radar mapping device, and a Saturn Orbiter that would be a more sophisticated spacecraft, to be launched separately. A Saturn orbiter and a Titan probe are combined in a single mission that would be carried out in collaboration with NASA. It is this proposal, called the Cassini Project, which was approved by NASA and ESA for an assessment study to be carried out over the next year and a half. Details of the Cassini mission are discussed.