Spacecraft aims for historic 1st

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — NASA’s Cassini spacecraft ventured Wednesday into the never-before-explored region between Saturn and its rings.

But flight controllers won’t know how everything went until Thursday when they are back in touch with the craft. Cassini was out of radio contact with Earth as it became the first spacecraft to enter the gap between Saturn and its rings. “We’re in a waiting period right now,” said Jim Green, director of NASA’s planetary science division. If Cassini survives this first round, it will make 21 more crossings before its demise in September. The gap between Saturn’s atmosphere and its rings is relatively narrow: 1,900 kilometres.