Cassini: Scientist for a day
Welcome to the Autumn 2009 Cassini Scientist for a Day Competition!
The competition for Winter 2009 is now closed. We are pleased to say that the winners will be invited to the Christmas reception of the Parliamentary Space Committee at the House of Commons in December!
Three targets have been selected by scientists working on the Cassini Mission. Your challenge is to decide which is the most scientifically valuable and make your case to us in 500 words. The competition is open to all students at school or college in the UK or Ireland. If you are from another country, please visit the JPL site to find out what the arrangements are for your country.
Deadline for competition entries is the 30th October. Entries will be judged by Professor Carl Murray, the only UK member of the Cassini Imaging Team. A winner will be chosen for three different age groups. Prizes include Amazon vouchers, a copy of your chosen image and we also have an extra surprise in the pipeline for winners (involving a trip to London), so watch this space...
Getting Started
- Watch the following films in order.
- Decide which target you think is most scientifically valuable.
- Get writing!
Introduction - click here for transcript
Target 1: Saturn and its Rings - click here for transcript
Target 2: Tethys and Saturn's Rings - click here for transcript
Target 3: Titan - click here for transcript
Rules
- School entries: all entries for a single school or class should be submitted electronically by a teacher to Laura Thomas at l.f.thomas@qmul.ac.uk
- Individual entries: we will need the name of your school, your teacher, your teacher's e-mail address, postal address and telephone number.
- For all entries we need the name, age and year group of each student.
- Entries should be no more than 500 words and should be the student's own work.
- Essay must be in plain text format and include NO images or graphics.
- In the subject field, enter "SCIENTIST FOR A DAY" followed by a dash, the name of your school, dash, the name of your town and country, e.g. SCIENTIST FOR A DAY - Isaac Newton School - London, UK
- Deadline: entries must be received by the 30th October 2009.
Click here to submit your essay!
"Welcome to the eighth edition of Cassini Scientist for a Day! My name is Powtawche, and I am a navigator on the Cassini team. Part of my job is to design the maneuvers needed to send the spacecraft exactly where the scientists want it to go. The Cassini Scientist for a Day contest is your chance to tell us where you think the cameras should be pointed. The observation for this contest is scheduled for October 11. The science planning team designed three possible observation opportunities. Each has scientific merit. You are to decide which of these three targets would yield the best science return - and write an essay illustrating your reasons.
"Target number 1 is Saturn and its Rings. Number 2 is Tethys with Saturn's rings; and number 3 is Titan. My colleagues. Bobak, Kelly and Christen will share their reasons for why you should pick their favourite target.
"Learn as much as you can about these three targets and choose YOUR favourite to write about. Your essays will be evaluated by Cassini scientists and educators. There will be a winner for each target.
"Thank you for your interest in the Cassini mission, and good luck with your essays - we look forward to hearing from you!"
Transcript - Target 1: Saturn and its Rings
"Hi. I'm Bobak, a Science Planner on the Cassinui mission. Let me tell you why a Wide Angle Camera shot of Saturn's ring system is the most exciting science target, aside from the fact that it is a lot prettier than the other two targets. The rings continue to mystify scientists - are they the remnants of a great moon ripped apart by tidal forces between Saturn and its other moons? Are they scraps of leftovers from when Saturn was formed?
"Some of the water in the E ring comes from eruptions on Enceladus, and other rings could contain material from meteorite impacts - but what else are the rings made of? There are so many questions to be asked about Saturn and its rings: how do they vary across seasons, how do spokes form and how long will the rings last? Near equinox, when the sun illuminates the rings from the side, we are able to see more of the shadows and spokes in the ring systems, making this camera shot even more valuable.
"Right now, during equinox, images of the rings can help us understand the history of the rings as well as what they are today. We even have the chance to find new moonlets in the rings! So what do you say? Let's take this gorgeous picture of Saturn and its rings."
Transcript - Target 2: Tethys and Saturn's Rings
"Hi. I'm Kelly, and I'm a Science Planning Engineer. I think the best target is number 2 - it shows the moon Tethys and parts of Saturn's rings. Cassini has only had two close fly-bys of Tethys so far. Magnetometer data from one of these fly-bys showed a very slight possibility that Tethys could be adding to the E ring. Although the amount of material that Tethys contributes is extremely small relative to Enceladus, this possibility puts Tethys in the group of elite icy moons that definitely warrant further study.
"Saturn's F ring and the outer edge of the A ring will also be visible in this image. Scientists are extremely interested in the F ring, because its features often change in a matter of hours. The shepherd moons, Prometheus and Pandora, often create unique kinks and knots. We may even be able to spot one of the very small moons that scientists believe exist, but we haven't yet seen.
"The outer edge of the A ring is also very dynamic and interesting. The gravitational pull of Saturn's moons often create waves in the rings, and the edge of the A ring is a prime location for viewing these features. If you're interested in making a new discovery, you should definitely choose target 2."
"Hi, I'm Christen, and I'm a student working for Cassini Science Planning through the CURE program. I think target number three is the best choice. Titan resembles Earth several billion years ago. It has a dense nitrogen atmosphere and many geological features that are similar to features found on Earth, such as dunes, rivers and lakes. However, on Titan the liquids that flow on the surface are methane and ethane instead of water.
Titan is surrounded by a thick haze, but Cassini's cameras can sometimes see surface features. Titan has many possible interesting features such as volcanoes erupting water, ammonia, or methane instead of molten rock or lava. This is called Cryovolcanism, which really intrigues scientists because it could explain some of the changes seen in Titan's atmosphere and would give them a closer look into Titan's interior composition. So let's point Cassini's cameras at Titan for a great opportunity to observe a mysterious world."