This flight was one of the final three flybys planned for Cassini and Enceladus. The next will happen October 28, and will take the spacecraft a mere 30 miles above the surface in the south polar region. This trip will take Cassini through the geyser plume so it can sample some of what might be brewing under all that ice. The final Enceladus flyby is planned for December 19, which scientists hope will help measure the heat emanating from inside the moon. Cassini will finish up its mission gathering more information about Saturn’s gravity, magnetic field, and rings, clouds, and more, before ending is 20-year run by falling into the planet’s atmosphere (so as not to contaminate the nearby moons).
