Piggott resident Kenneth Renshaw has embarked
on a new journey which is a by-product of his passion for
astronomy. Renshaw was appointed as a Solar System Ambassador
for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
in January of this year. Recently, he was appointed as one
of four volunteer representatives in the state for the Saturn
Observation Campaign.
The Saturn Observation Campaign (SOC) focuses
on the current Cassini-Huygens space mission around the
planet Saturn.
Although Renshaw has held several on-line
seminars for NASA, his first live presentations were on
Friday, Sept. 24, in Marmaduke. He has spent the months
since January in training to give presentations on behalf
of NASA. Renshaw addressed fifth and sixth graders and seventh
and eighth graders at Marmaduke High School.
Renshaw, who has had an avid interest in
astronomy since 1973, told the students that the Cassini-Huygens
spacecraft is the second largest ever launched from Earth
to another planet and it is also the first ever to enter
Saturn's orbit. Renshaw explained that a gravity assist
was necessary to launch the massive ship toward Saturn.
In a gravity assist, a spacecraft is launched around another
celestial body to pick up the energy needed for the journey.
In the case of Cassini-Huygens, which weighed 12,220 pounds
at launch, the Titan IV-B rocket was used send the craft
flying around the Sun, Venus and Earth to pick up the velocity
needed for the journey. The final gravity assist for the
craft occured in the outer solar system as it flew around
Jupiter on Dec. 30, 2000. The launch of the craft occured
on Oct. 15, 1997.
The spacecraft entered Saturn's orbit on
July 1, 2004, and the Huygens probe is destined for Titan,
the largest moon in the solar system. According to Renshaw,
it is believed that Titan holds many of the organic chemicals
Earth contained before the development of life. It is the
only satellite with a thick atmosphere.
The probe is named after Dutch astronomer
Christiaan Huygens. Huygens discovered Titan in 1655. The
orbiter, Cassini, is named after French astronomer Jean
Dominique Cassini, who discovered a break in Saturn's rings
in 1675.
NASA hopes that the probe will send back
photos of Titan's surface. The probe will be launched in
December, it will take several days for the probe to travel
to Titan. Parachutes will assist the probe in its descent.
After it lands on Titan in January of 2005, researchers
hope that the probe will be able to communicate with NASA
for a few minutes before succumbing to the frozen climate
of the moon.
The Cassini-Huygens mission is scheduled
to last for a minimum of four years after entering Saturn's
orbit. Renshaw said the mission could be extended longer.
The project is a cooperative effort between
NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.
According to NASA, it is estimated that over 260 scientists
will study the data the ship collects.
The NASA Solar System Ambassador program
was started in 1999 by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
hopes of increasing interest in math and science among students
of all ages. Renshaw is available to do educational presentation
for groups and classrooms on behalf of the Solar System
Ambassador or Saturn Observation Campaign programs free
of charge. Persons may contact him via email at renshaw@centurytel.net
or by calling 870-598-5267 or 870-598-7930 to set up a presentation
or for more information.
