1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,960 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain Stuff. 2 00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,760 Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Bogelbaum, and today's episode is another classic from 3 00:00:09,760 --> 00:00:12,960 Speaker 1: our former host, Christian Sagar. In this one, we pay 4 00:00:13,080 --> 00:00:16,960 Speaker 1: tribute to NASA's Cassini mission and talk about how exploring 5 00:00:17,040 --> 00:00:20,080 Speaker 1: space can help us learn about the universe and our 6 00:00:20,120 --> 00:00:25,480 Speaker 1: own planet. Hey brain Stuff, it's Christian Sager here. Before 7 00:00:25,560 --> 00:00:29,720 Speaker 1: meeting its fiery demise in Saturn's atmosphere on Friday September. 8 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:36,600 Speaker 1: NASA's groundbreaking Cassini mission to Saturn had spent thirteen years 9 00:00:36,960 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 1: redefining our view of the beautiful ringed gas giant, but 10 00:00:42,120 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: it's discoveries went well beyond pure science. Like the long 11 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:50,640 Speaker 1: duration space missions that came before it, the Galileo mission 12 00:00:50,680 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 1: to Jupiter, the Twin Voyager probes, and more recently, the 13 00:00:54,600 --> 00:01:00,560 Speaker 1: European Rosetta mission, Cassini irrevocably changed our perspectives, but coming 14 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:03,920 Speaker 1: ingrained in the lives of the people who worked with 15 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:09,319 Speaker 1: the mission and had tangible impacts on society. Cassini's scientific 16 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,600 Speaker 1: accolades are nothing short of revolutionary. With the help of 17 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:18,680 Speaker 1: the European High Gen's lander, it explored the stunningly dynamic 18 00:01:18,720 --> 00:01:23,320 Speaker 1: atmosphere of Titan, discovering vast lakes of liquid methane and 19 00:01:23,400 --> 00:01:28,399 Speaker 1: uncovering a vast subsurface ocean of liquid water. Close up 20 00:01:28,400 --> 00:01:32,720 Speaker 1: examinations of the planet's rings revealed stunning detail and the 21 00:01:32,800 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 1: intricate relationship with its moons. Cassini tracked changes in Saturn's 22 00:01:38,160 --> 00:01:42,280 Speaker 1: atmosphere as its seasons progressed, a feat that could only 23 00:01:42,319 --> 00:01:46,399 Speaker 1: be achieved by putting a long duration probe in orbit 24 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: about the planet for more than a decade. And then 25 00:01:50,400 --> 00:01:55,240 Speaker 1: there's en Celaduce, a small icy moon that, until Cassini 26 00:01:55,360 --> 00:01:58,920 Speaker 1: arrived in two thousand four, hit a secret and ocean 27 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:03,040 Speaker 1: with the potential for life. Thanks to end Celluduce, it 28 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:05,840 Speaker 1: doesn't look as if you need a planet with liquid 29 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: water on its surface like Earth. Unlike our world, moons 30 00:02:11,200 --> 00:02:17,360 Speaker 1: like Enceladuce, Titan, possibly Dione, Jupiter's Europa, and Neptune's Triton 31 00:02:17,720 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 1: hide their liquid water underneath their surfaces, and these moons 32 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:27,880 Speaker 1: are abundant dynamic places in our Solar system. Io has 33 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:33,680 Speaker 1: volcanic plumes and Europa has a liquid ocean with seas, rain, rivers, 34 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:38,079 Speaker 1: and volcanoes. Geysers come out of Neptune's moon Titan. Though 35 00:02:38,080 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: these places are extremely cold and water cannot exist as 36 00:02:41,760 --> 00:02:45,840 Speaker 1: a liquid. Other chemicals with lower freezing points step in 37 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,600 Speaker 1: to become their lubricants, and in the case of Titan, 38 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 1: it's methane and all kinds of hydrocarbons. In the case 39 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: of Inseladuce, it's liquid water heated by tides all the 40 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,639 Speaker 1: way out to nept Tune, where the lubricant is nitrogen. 41 00:03:03,080 --> 00:03:06,560 Speaker 1: This could mean that we might discover a similar rich 42 00:03:06,639 --> 00:03:11,400 Speaker 1: diversity in other star systems. Space exploration has a knack 43 00:03:11,480 --> 00:03:14,760 Speaker 1: for putting our place in the universe into perspective, but 44 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:20,519 Speaker 1: this goes beyond the science. It has an impact on society. 45 00:03:20,560 --> 00:03:24,120 Speaker 1: Like the famous pale blue dot photograph of a distant 46 00:03:24,160 --> 00:03:28,120 Speaker 1: Earth captured by the Voyager one spacecraft as it was 47 00:03:28,240 --> 00:03:31,760 Speaker 1: speeding into the unknown frontiers of our Solar system two 48 00:03:31,800 --> 00:03:37,720 Speaker 1: Cassini's own portrait of Earth during the Wave at Saturn event. 49 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:42,880 Speaker 1: Space exploration can give the world a sense of togetherness. 50 00:03:43,400 --> 00:03:46,760 Speaker 1: These images from space also act as a catalyst to 51 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: give people optimism, considering beauty beyond the strife here on Earth. 52 00:03:57,040 --> 00:03:59,360 Speaker 1: Today's episode was written by Ian O'Neill and produced by 53 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,280 Speaker 1: Tristan mcne and Tyler Klang. For more in this lots 54 00:04:02,280 --> 00:04:05,280 Speaker 1: of other far out topics, visit how stuff works dot com. 55 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,560 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of I heart Radio. For more 56 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: podcasts in my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 57 00:04:10,120 --> 00:04:12,760 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.