"Mission Accomplished, but New Questions Await!"

That's what NASA is announcing about their Cassini mission. Today, on June 30, Cassini is ending its primary mission, lasting for four years. But Cassini is not done with Saturn and its moons. There is still much too left to learn about Saturn, and the primary mission was just the start.

Now, Cassini starts a new journey, with a new two-year mission. This extended mission, called the Cassini Equinox Mission, was approved in April. After Cassini unleashed new information about Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus, these two moons became the prime targets for te extended mission. The mission will also focus on the seasonal effects on Titan and Saturn, and looking and analyzing the geometry of the rings of Saturn during the Saturn equinox in August 2009, when sunlight will pass directly through the plane of the the rings.

Find out more about Cassini at NASA and JPL.

Image from NASA/JPL.

The Seas of Titan

The Cassini Spacecraft has been orbiting Saturn for some time now, but recently, it has found seas on one of Saturn's moon, Titan, the second largest moon in the solar system. The dark features, caught by Cassini's radar instrument are found near Titan's north pole and are thought to be filled with liquid methane or ethane. Scientists think that these lakes must be continuously re-supplying methane to Titan's atmosphere, finding an answer to the mystery.

Find out more at:

• NASA
• Wikipedia (Cassini-Huygens, Titan)