Saturn's Rings & Titan Moon | NASA Cassini Mission

Saturn's Rings & Titan Moon | NASA Cassini Mission

Atlas is an inner satellite of Saturn which was discovered by Richard Terrile in 1980 from NASA Voyager spacecraft photos and was designated S/1980 S 28. In 1983, it was officially named after Atlas of Greek mythology, because it "holds the rings on its shoulders" like the Titan Atlas held the sky up above the Earth. The moon is also designated Saturn XV. Atlas has a roughly spherical center surrounded by a large and smooth equatorial ridge.

 

The Cassini spacecraft ended its mission on Sept. 15, 2017. Cassini's end involved a series of close Saturn passes, approaching within the rings, then an entry into Saturn's atmosphere to destroy the spacecraft. This method was chosen because it is necessary to ensure protection and prevent biological contamination to any of the moons of Saturn thought to offer potential habitability.

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit: https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov and www.nasa.gov/cassini

The Cassini-Huygens mission was a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, managed the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. 

Credit: NASA/Jet Propuslion Laboratory-Caltech/Space Science Institute (SSI)/Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations (CICLOPS)

Processing: Kevin M. Gill

Release Date: Feb. 17, 2023

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