NASA spacecraft flew past Saturn for the last time before committing suicide

The mission will eventually bring the Cassini spacecraft closer to Saturn's upper deck, approaching the planet at the closest distance ever.

The Cassini spacecraft entered the final phase of its mission to fly 5 around Saturn and dive down close to the giant planet's upper deck, according to the International Business Times. Cassini will begin the final dive to Saturn on August 13 to fly over the planet's upper deck .

In order to fly through the dense atmosphere, the ship will have to activate the rocket propulsion to maintain balance, according to the US Aerospace Agency (NASA). Scientists hope Cassini only uses about 10-60% of the propulsion during the flight. If more thrust is needed to continue the journey, the ship will increase in height to fly above the turbulent zone.

During orbits, Cassini will fly at an altitude of 1,630 - 1710km above Saturn's top clouds. If there is an obstacle, the ship will move up another 200km. If the air is not too dense, the ship will continue to descend further 200km.

Cassini is about to fly around Saturn for the last time.(Photo: NASA).

In this closest approach to Saturn, Cassini will transmit data to Earth through neutron mass spectrometers and ions, providing a deeper view of the planet's atmosphere.

"In 5 times of dive down to Saturn before the last crash, Cassini will become the first Saturn atmospheric probe ," said Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL), California, USA, said. "For a long time, the introduction of exploration equipment into the atmosphere of Saturn has become a target in the field of planetary exploration and we are laying the foundation for future discoveries with this pioneering mission." .

Other Cassini devices will continue to collect and transmit detailed information about Saturn's atmosphere, aurora, surface temperature as well as polar cyclones in the polar region. Spacecraft can also see through the planet's atmosphere, using radar to survey areas that are at least 25km wide.

The last stab will begin on 9/11. The process of flying over Titan, Saturn's largest moon, will play a role in supporting gravity to push the plane toward Saturn on September 15. After completing half an orbit, the ship will crash into the planet. At this time, all the antennas on the ship will turn towards Earth for continuous data transmission.

When it reaches twice as much as the dense atmosphere, the propulsion engine will not be able to control the ship and the communication will be permanently cut. Cassini will burn like a meteor, ending its 20-year mission since 1997.