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First Images From 50-km Enceladus Flyby

Posted by kdawson on from the over-the-shoulder-spinning dept.

CheshireCatCO writes "The first pictures from yesterday's flyby of Enceladus are now public. At closest approach, Cassini was set spinning to cancel out the apparent motion of Enceladus so as to capture unsmeared images during the 40,000-mph flyby. Although it wasn't clear that this would work (errors in pointing could easily have made the cameras miss their targets), the maneuver panned out beautifully, producing spectacular images of the surface. Images show the 'tiger stripes' at the south pole, including at least one location that has been identified as a source of a jet, as well as considerable vertical relief, easily visible thanks to the low sun-angle near the south pole at present. Processed, enhanced images should follow shortly."

95 comments

  1. Eat my goatse'd penis! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    Eat my goatse'd penis!

    1. Re:Eat my goatse'd penis! by Ihmhi · · Score: 1, Funny

      This is sad. You have an article with the phrase "vertical relief" in it and you can't come up with anything even remotely humorous? For shame, AC... for shame.

      --
      Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
  2. Actually huge amount of terrain by deft · · Score: 4, Informative

    At first glance I thought these pics would be better if they were further back to get an idea of scale.

    Then noticed that the pictures are marked anywhere from 33 to 98 feet PER PIXEL. these pictures actually have quite alot of land below, and I think it's just the nature of the resolution and shot that make it look like its a much smaller scale.

    I'm glad there are scientists that study this that can make out alot more than I... but very happy this worked none-the-ess.

    --

    There's nothing Intelligent about Intelligent Design.
    1. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

      Can anyone tell me the verticle relief?

      --
      If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
    2. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

      how is babby formed?

    3. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by OriginalArlen · · Score: 4, Informative

      See Emily Lakdawalla's pre-encounter blog piece for the Planetary Society, and follow-ups as the data's arriving.

      They flew over the south pole at a range of 30km at 50,000 relative speeds. The relative movement was so fast that they had to turn the entire s/c to point backwards before closest approach. There are some superb ("amateur") animations on the UMSF thread. (large, though, 60Mb or so each.) The realtime simulation is really mind-blowing. Just watch Enceladus scudding through the FoV of the ISS camera just after c/a. Superb, superb work by the Cassini team (as always!) This is certainly one of the biggest set-piece events of the entire mission after orbit insertion, others being Huygens, the first Titan flyby (that data took a lot of time to interpret, indeed the radar data is still being puzzled over as each narrow swath appears after another flyby - it's hard to do imaging through that pesky yet oh-so-interesting methane atmosphere) and the Iapetus encounter.

      --

      Everything I needed to know about life, I learnt from Blake's Seven
    4. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by HangingChad · · Score: 1

      these pictures actually have quite alot of land below

      So, where are the impact craters?

      --
      That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
    5. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 3, Informative

      That'll actually take a little while, but we're working on it. The shadows should help interpret the topography, but it's a non-trivial analysis.

    6. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 2, Informative

      There are none (or few, anyway) in the South Polar region of Enceladus. That's what makes it interesting, the terrain appears to be quite young.

    7. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by wooferhound · · Score: 4, Informative

      Here are some pictures from the Cassini site itself, not slashdotted
      http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/events/enceladus20080811/index.cfm

      --
      We are Dead Stars looking back Up at the Sky
    8. Re:Actually huge amount of terrain by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      How is the Cassini Imaging Team's site not a "Cassini site itself"? The original press release was written at CICLOPS, JPL just hosts a copy.

  3. A pity by WetCat · · Score: 3, Funny

    I see no towns and roads...

    1. Re:A pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      It's actually a pity that we're even spending money on this shit.

      How many billion dollars did we spend to get one or two postcard photos? Typical fucking Americans.

    2. Re:A pity by OldManAndTheC++ · · Score: 4, Funny

      Patience dude, Google Street View hasn't even finished Mars yet!

      --
      Soylent Green is peoplicious!
    3. Re:A pity by RuBLed · · Score: 3, Funny

      You are too optimistic. (you heard me right) I suggest you look carefully at the pictures because of the obvious visibility of off-road SUV tracks. There is also some kind of a silhouette on the 5th picture, it looks like a man, possibly Elvis.

    4. Re:A pity by Teun · · Score: 4, Funny
      I assume you prefer your food raw.

      http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/08/12/2036254

      --
      "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
    5. Re:A pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not just that, but I catch it myself.

      Reeled a few in today, actually.

    6. Re:A pity by volcanopele · · Score: 1

      Typical fucking Americans.

      You, umm, do realize Cassini is a joint project between NASA and ESA, the European Space Agency... If you are going to troll, at least TRY to get your facts straight... oh, wait...

      --
      The Gish Bar Times - Blog covering Jupiter's moon Io
    7. Re:A pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Think about how many bibles you could have sent to Iraq with that Cassini money!

      Spreading the good news is more important than peeping dead space rocks.

      Isn't it?

    8. Re:A pity by pmontra · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually Cassini is a joint project between NASA, ESA and ASI, the Italian space agency which contributed the high gain antenna (the big parabolic one you see in Cassini pictures).

      Obviously Italy partecipates to ESA but keeps funding its own agency. The other major European countries do the same.

    9. Re:A pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Damnit, the fucking SUVs have already infected the rest of the solar system?

    10. Re:A pity by Chosen+Reject · · Score: 1

      I swear, if Google Street View is available for Mars before Seattle, I will preempt Steve Ballmer and go and kill Google myself.

      /throws chair

      --
      Stop Global Warming!
      Just say no to irreversible processes!
    11. Re:A pity by slashmaddy · · Score: 1

      Roads!? Where we're going, we don't NEED roads...

  4. NASA site and images by gzipped_tar · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-list1.html
    This is the NASA page for the raw images from the flyby.

    --
    Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
    1. Re:NASA site and images by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      hopefully nasa hasn't been slashdotted like the link in the summary.

    2. Re:NASA site and images by gzipped_tar · · Score: 4, Informative

      on pages 8-10 there are raw images for the ones used in the press release

      --
      Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
    3. Re:NASA site and images by bugg_tb · · Score: 5, Informative

      The images are also here: http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/index.cfm

    4. Re:NASA site and images by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      There's some rolling footage here.

    5. Re:NASA site and images by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This one's my fav: (Thanks for that link, BTW) http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/raw-images-details.cfm?feiImageID=165899

  5. Already Slashdotted? by Snowblindeye · · Score: 5, Informative

    The Ciclops site seems to be unresponsive already. Nasa's coverage can be found here http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/events/enceladus20080811/index.cfm

    1. Re:Already Slashdotted? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "NASA's coverage" is just a copy of what's on the CICLOPS site.

  6. First post training school by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    For a first-attempt at a first post troll you've done very well, grasshopper. I note that you've already been modded-down and there's only one other post in the thread. As everyone in the Troll Training is aware: speed to be modded down is a key metric in measuring the success of our work!

    In our next class we will discuss how to use Goatse effectively. You see Goatse is much like the Rickroll (remember that from the last lesson?) in that people should be tricked into viewing it, without prior knowledge of what they'll see.

    Anyway, that's all for this time, meanwhile excellent work guys. Just a little homework for you, over the next few posts practice getting a p1st fr0st in. This amusing anagram never fails to delight the Slashdot moderators!

  7. Wow, that's a lot of pixels by Kligat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    For comparison, when the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter took photos of the Martian moon Phobos, it did so at a 6.8m=1 pixel scale, which came out to a 3,374 by 3,300 pixel image for one side. If a scale of 20.2m=1 pixel on average is assumed on average for these, then a picture of the whole thing like would be about 22,074 by 22,074 pixels, or 487 megapixels. That's assuming they didn't even do the same locations twice from different angles or something.

    Does this mean I'll be able to switch from Phobos to Enceladus as my desktop background soon?

    1. Re:Wow, that's a lot of pixels by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      Whats up with the red pixels along the left of the image? Looks like some sort of watermark.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
  8. the manouver *panned* out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Good one.

  9. science and perspective, and what a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    How many billion dollars did we spend to get one or two postcard photos?

    About 1.7. If someone has more exact, up-to-date Cassini budget figures, let us know. For comparison, this is slightly less than 1/330th the budget to-date for the American war effort in Iraq. With a tenth of the war budget, we could send 3 or more likely 4 Cassini-class missions to every major planetary body in the solar system, and have the other 90% of the war budget to spend on eliminating world hunger 12 to 13 times over (I'm using the conservative estimate here and rounding down). Or whatever.

    But that's not the point. These images are not "postcards"; they are scientific-quality imagery; I believe CheshireCatCO elaborated on this somewhere else, perhaps even in the other slashdot story he linked in this very summary. $2 billion for postcards is unreasonable, but not so unreasonable for doing science in-situ at Saturn.

    Typical fucking Americans.

    Spirited attempt to round out your troll, but you already betrayed yourself an American yourself with that little "we're even spending bit.

    I read slashdot often but reply seldom enough I just do it anonymously. Jerks like you give anonymous posters a bad name and undermine the viability of communicating via the anonymity mechanism. I want to state for the record and for the readership that not all slashdot ACs are insufferable trolls, and that some valuable contributions are made by drive-by or lurking participants piecemeal, anonymously. I try to lead by example; feeding an obvious and unabashed troll will do no good of course, but offering useful commentary to others will.

    Anyway, I suspect that your post will receive its richly deserved troll or flaimbait moderation in due time.

    1. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by TapeCutter · · Score: 3, Funny

      I for one welcome the Shrek of AC trolls.

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
    2. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

      For comparison, this is slightly less than 1/330th the budget to-date for the American war effort in Iraq. With a tenth of the war budget, we could send 3 or more likely 4 Cassini-class missions to every major planetary body in the solar system, and have the other 90% of the war budget to spend on eliminating world hunger 12 to 13 times over (I'm using the conservative estimate here and rounding down). Or whatever.

      here we go again, another 'if there was no war in iraq we could...' post.

      interestingly enough, most of the people who post this kind of tripe live in member countries of the un. had the un done their job in the middle east back in 90-91 there would be no iraq war today. instead the un conveniently left the us holding the bag again and skedaddled. if anything, americans should be eying up what they could be doing with the money they currently dole out to the un and disjoin themselves from this corrupt organization.

      and the idea that simply throwing money at world hunger as a solution also shows how naive the poster is. a large chunk of today's world hunger is caused not by lack of food but by localized warlords who use civilians as slaves to their causes. food on the docks of these countries would more likely be used as a bartering tool to only increase their power and never find it's way to the mouths of the people that we keep talking about saving. little short of forcing our own societies template on these lands would work to fix this problem and we'd be left with another iraq-like situation with resentment, fear and militias just waiting until the 'friendly' forces have left so as to start another genocide between tribesmen and/or religious sects.

    3. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      John? John McCain? Is that you?

    4. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Illbay · · Score: 2, Funny

      For comparison, this is slightly less than 1/330th the budget to-date for the American war effort in Iraq.

      However, let the record show that the photographs revealed *NO* al-Qaeda bases on Enceladus. Had there been, just imagine the cost of getting Space Marines up there to clear the place out.

      --
      Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
    5. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      how about a meaningful rebuttal instead of this crap or simply modded a post down as flamebait? oh, that's right, it's because you can't.

    6. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by rubycodez · · Score: 1

      depends, if it was where Bin Laden actually was hiding the Bush admin would have to cover it up and ignore it to continue having a bogeyman for their agenda

    7. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Illbay · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      I love it. The "agenda" is destruction of terrorists, which is exactly what has been happening. Yet idiots such as yourself gripe about ONE GUY who no one even knows if he's alive or dead anyway, and who is not in any position to do anything about it.

      (Yet your messiah, B. Hussein Obama, insists that all the "bad guys" from the 1993 WTC attacks are "incapacitated." Yeah, right).

      --
      Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
    8. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by rubycodez · · Score: 1

      the war on A.Q. in Afghanistan was mostly put on hold for the Iraq war, it's been a half-assed effort until recently

      you assume I am pro-Obama? maybe the way you assume the truth is being told to you in our "war on terror"?

    9. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Arterion · · Score: 1

      Whenever I see an AC respond to an AC, I can't help but wonder if they're not both the same person. Obviously, they're not trying to get Karma or the reply would be under the account.

      But consider: a normal troll post would be modded down and off the radar. However, a +5 reply to a troll post shows up, and so everyone clicks up to read the original trolling post. Right?

      Am I just paranoid? Should I tighten the straps on my tinfoil hat?

      --
      "That which does not kill us makes us stranger." -Trevor Goodchild
    10. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by mentaldrano · · Score: 1

      While I agree that spending a lot of money (the equivalent of the Iraq war budget) would indeed buy enough food and even infrastructure to feed everyone in the world, the major cost that such estimates don't mention is invading all the countries that are deliberately starving their citizens.

      Would Saddam have let anyone feed his people while he was in power? Never - we'd have had to invade! No good deed goes unpunished, and I think the mire we're stuck in now is our reward for not thinking just a bit farther ahead before invading.

    11. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      How about this instead then - you're a fatuous cunt. Is that meaningful enough a rebuttal for you?

    12. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by florescent_beige · · Score: 1

      here we go again...

      Sorry to break the news to you, but Ronald Reagan is gone.

      What started with "There you go again" and ended with "Mission Accomplished" is dead. Neo Conservatism had it's kick at the can and, after giving us the Creationism Museum and the Lies of Mass Destruction, has nothing left to do but blubber around like a deflating balloon until it finally falls limply to the floor.

      Classic Reaganesqe barb? Check. Blame foreigners? Check. Blame the UN? Check. Claim that poverty isn't caused by lack of money? Check.

      Enjoy your sunset.

      --
      Equine Mammals Are Considerably Smaller
    13. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by florescent_beige · · Score: 1

      I love it.

      For someone with a lotta love you sure are grumpy.

      your messiah, B. Hussein Obama

      It just kills you that our guy is gonna beat your guy doesn't it? Try not to think about it. Instead, think about how many more guns you can buy now and enjoy the warm fuzzy that gives you.

      --
      Equine Mammals Are Considerably Smaller
    14. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You can't eliminate "world hunger" by throwing money at it. It's a political problem. Most famines are caused by acts of commission or omission by the local government.

    15. Re:science and perspective, and what a pity by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

      Apart from the ad-homs that was an informative and insightful reply, right up until the point you assume to know everything about the GP's political views.

      Disclaimers: Non American. I don't actually agree with your reply. I'm an old fart and feel like posting a rant.

      rant/
      I was born in 1959, I remeber the wall coming down but I don't remember the end of the cold war. As I see it the wars in the ME are between two fading empires. The first is a bankrupt empire run by a crime syndicate who's main customer is China, the second is an empire that is indebted to China and has recently lost a lot of it's clout as an essential Chinese customer, this empire has been in the process of consolidating power under one man while the empire itself spirals toward bankruptcy. China itself over the last 3-4 decades has gone from a famine infested hell hole to a well oiled economic jugernaught representing 1/5 of mankind.

      The alternative to international fuedalisim is the picture painted by the UN where international politics is exemplyfied by the response to the tsunami and dammed by the reponse to Rawanda/Burma/etc.

      Neither version particularly inspires me, humans are tribal creatures living in a global society, our technology has outpaced our evolution such that personal tribes are constantly changing as people jump from job to job. You can know the guy at the local shop for 10yrs, suddenly he sells up and you are no longer part of each others tribe. But hey, I'm too old for spear chucking of the modern or ancient variety and I'd be dead several times over if not for modern medicine.

      Gerogia, LOTR style: The Bear and the Eagle had words at the inter-kingdom games, the Bear accused the Eagle of enslaving Kosovo into the guild and said he was making sure the same thing didn't happen to Osetia, "If the Eagle tries to stop me I will take all of Georgia and sever the black snake, and if the Eagle puts his magic shield on my doorstep I will send it to the rubbish heap".

      The frog heard of the argument and became concerned about the black snake as it helps keep his guild ice-free in the winter time. He said to the Eagle "Let the Bear have Osetia if he promises not to touch the black snake". The Eagle's pride was hurt at the suggestion of backing down, his feathers started to puff up in frustration. The Frog gulped and started to turn away, as he turned he spied the orange puppet all torn and tattered after the Bear had swiped it with a paw, "The world needs a scapegoat" he said.

      Postscript (in jest): After several frustrating hours of trying to explain what that meant to a birdbrain the Frog and his backers at the guild simply gave up and announced the ceasefire anyway, the Bear accepted and demanded the Eagle sacrafice the orange puppet. Later the guild managed to distract the Eagle by pointing out the orange puppet's face was turning green again.
      /rant

      --
      And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  10. As someone who works daily with Cassini data by irbdavid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    (although not on the imaging/planetary science side of things), it's important to note how incredibly successful Cassini-Huygens has been. Projects such as Cassini are where the 'space' budget needs to be spent, not on trinkets like the International Space Station.

    --
    -irb
    1. Re:As someone who works daily with Cassini data by Ogive17 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Even if the ISS appears to be a black hole for money, it does bring some collaberation between different space agencies and it also is a needed first step towards setting up more permanent (and useful) space bases.

      --
      "Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
    2. Re:As someone who works daily with Cassini data by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 1

      Cassini is an international mission as well. Except that in this case, our international partners aren't backing out of their obligations and making us foot the bill.

    3. Re:As someone who works daily with Cassini data by speedtux · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      What's "useful" about space bases? Why does putting a bunch of smelly humans into a can and orbiting them around earth help science or mankind?

    4. Re:As someone who works daily with Cassini data by daemonburrito · · Score: 1

      As the devil's advocate, the first example that comes to mind: Material physics labs.

      Note: I support unmanned exploration of the solar system and wish it to be expanded.

    5. Re:As someone who works daily with Cassini data by DerekLyons · · Score: 1

      Yep. Science and engineering proceeds forward - even in the absence of pretty pictures.

    6. Re:As someone who works daily with Cassini data by speedtux · · Score: 1

      As the devil's advocate, the first example that comes to mind: Material physics labs.

      You can do that with telepresence.

      If we had invested the money we wasted on manned space flight in robotics, we'd have a large part of the solar system explored already.

      And any future manned mission will require extensive robotic support anyway. For example, even a Mars mission will require robotic landers that prepare habitats and collect fuel.

      Spending money on sending people into space with the primitive technologies we have right now is a complete waste. By pushing for manned exploration prematurely, advocates of manned space travel hurt their own cause.

  11. Frozen Fish! by TapeCutter · · Score: 1

    The last picture has a large fissure across the center with a small sharply defined fissure barnching off and pointing NNE. At the end of the branch there is a giant fish head frozen in the ice.

    --
    And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
  12. Faces by Joebert · · Score: 0

    Does anyone else think they saw a few that look like the head of a cartoon character ?

    --
    Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
    1. Re:Faces by Joebert · · Score: 1

      Not seriously, around the 300 mark there's ones that like a head.

      --
      Wanna fight ? Bend over, stick your head up your ass, and fight for air.
  13. Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Thats no moon, its a space station...

    1. Re:Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut UP! My god, let it go! The memes! They aren't funny any more!

    2. Re:Obligatory by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 1

      http://xkcd.com/307/

      (Which is itself practically becoming a meme, now.)

    3. Re:Obligatory by Convector · · Score: 1

      No, that would be Mimas.

  14. Why is this free? by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: -1, Troll
    Why is this being posted, in full quality, for free? Millions of American taxpayer dollars have been spent gathering this priceless data that is totally unavailable in any other context, and the full-quality raw data is simply being given away online. I can guarantee you that any other nation's research programmes would not do this, their governments would not hear of it. Could you see the Chinese doing this? Or the Russians? At the least, the data should be kept for national interest reasons, with it only available to projects that advance the government's interest. Low-quality preview images could be released to the public if PR is an objective.

    Answers I don't want to hear: America is #1, that's why they do it = a bunch of nonsense. Science wants to be free = also nonsense.

    --
    Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    1. Re:Why is this free? by untaken_name · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      If you don't know what the answer IS, how do you know what it isn't?
      What if science is actually a sentient entity which yearns for freedom even as do some of its followers?
      What if America really is...nah, that one's just silly.
       

      --
      http://xkcd.com/386/
    2. Re:Why is this free? by CmdrGravy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Dude, Enceladus is actually property of the British Crown. One of the conditions of allowing you Yanks up there to take a look is that the pictures are distributed for free.

    3. Re:Why is this free? by Stooshie · · Score: 5, Informative

      ... Millions of American taxpayer dollars have been spent gathering this priceless data that is totally unavailable in any other context ...

      Most space programs are internationally funded and carried out by universities of more than one country these days. Of course the data should be made available.

      ... I can guarantee you that any other nation's research programmes would not do this ...

      Yes they do

      --
      America, Home of the Brave. ... .and the Squaw.
    4. Re:Why is this free? by Teun · · Score: 1
      Yes a Troll you are.

      First of, this is an international project and secondly how could this possibly of 'National Interest'?

      Or do you see a bright future for importing ice from there to lower the cost of your AC?

      The advantage of widely publishing these photo's and further information gathered should be self-evident, the pictures are maybe amazing but it's the science work based on them that'll have a lasting value.

      And the more people and organisations work on this the greater the returns will be.

      --
      "The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
    5. Re:Why is this free? by claymore1977 · · Score: 1

      ...what priceless data? Sure, it cost a ton of money to obtain these absolutely incredible images... but what data?

      Also, who's to say that this is 100% of the data that NASA received? Personally, knowing the way the Gov agencies work, these images represent the 'icing' on the cake of data received. The critical information is probably retained.

      As for you answers that you don't want to hear: Well that's just to bad. Post a question in a public internet venue, and you are subject to any answers that get posted, stupid or otherwise.

      America IS #1, we have the big foam hands indicating as such. And Science doesn't want to be free, but discoveries that affect us as the Human Race *SHOULD* be free.

      --
      Mal: "So no more runnin'. I aim to misbehave."
    6. Re:Why is this free? by zrq · · Score: 3, Informative
      Mission overview

      Cassini-Huygens is an international collaboration between three space agencies. Seventeen nations contributed to building the spacecraft. The Cassini orbiter was built and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The Huygens probe was built by the European Space Agency. The Italian Space agency provided Cassini's high-gain communication antenna. More than 250 scientists worldwide are studying the data streaming back from Saturn on a daily basis.

    7. Re:Why is this free? by Icarium · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's precisely because it was funded by taxpayer dollars that it's being given away for free.

      There are bucketloads of data that are not being released to the public - releasing photos of any quality is just plain good PR and the value of a normal light photo is almost inconsequential. Making your American Taxpayer jump through hoops to get hold of these photos would be counterproductive. Given your apparent overreaction (they're not releasing designs for fusion reactors after all) you appear to attach far greater importance to these pictures than they intrinsically possess.

      And if you think that US research is done totally in isolation, well guess again.

    8. Re:Why is this free? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      You obviously do not have even a remote clue of how science works dude. First of all, Cassini is very far from being a purely american mission. Parts have been built all around the world. You want to keep the data for the US? Right. Just realise, that it would have costed much more to the US tax payer and the there would be less scientific results. Almost all space missions are international collaborations nowaday.

      And your sentence "At the least, the data should be kept for national interest reasons, with it only available to projects that advance the government's interest." just makes me puke, sorry. What would be the "national interest reasons"? If so, do not publish any scientific paper, imagine, it could be read my russians or chinese (who also write scientific papers read by americans, amazing isn't it?). And since when should planetory exploration serve "government's interest"? What for?

      Oh, i happen to be a researcher, i have worked on several continents and i use daily data gathered by international space missions. You know what, US scientists are drooling over Herschel right now. And guess what, they can be part of the teams who will analyse the data. But if we follow you, any data should be denied to US researcher to preserve european national interests, right?

    9. Re:Why is this free? by CheshireCatCO · · Score: 1

      Images are definitely data. Analysis of these has already begun and it's already getting interesting. That said, the raws on the JPL site and the versions CICLOPS releases are never the full-quality, science-grade data. That's released to the Planetary Data System a nine-months to a year later, though.

    10. Re:Why is this free? by againjj · · Score: 1

      You forgot one important piece:
      Copyright protection under this title is not available for any work of the United States Government, but the United States Government is not precluded from receiving and holding copyrights transferred to it by assignment, bequest, or otherwise.

    11. Re:Why is this free? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can guarantee you that any other nation's research programmes would not do this....

      "programmes"? That isn't the US spelling!

      Has anyone considered that this was meant to be an honest question from a non-US citizen and not a troll?

  15. mod 3o3n by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    TaXngle of fAtal

  16. *rim shot* by jpellino · · Score: 1

    the moving camera calcs "panned" out - I get it.

    (and yes, I know "panned out" is a reference to gold prospecting. calm down.)

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  17. "enhanced" photos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    If you see fireworks in the photos, they are probably photoshopped.

  18. A mirror to images by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You can find a mirror here- http://www.1solist.ro/?p=84

  19. GEYSERS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where are the fucking geysers

  20. Yummy. by kiehlster · · Score: 3, Funny

    Enchiladas flyby. A dream come true. Oh wait...

  21. Looks like... by consonant · · Score: 3, Funny

    that's the whole Enceladus..

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    1. Re:Looks like... by ashitaka · · Score: 1

      OK, how many of us didn't get that at first because we pronounce it en-SEL-ah-dus.

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    2. Re:Looks like... by Bat+Country · · Score: 1

      Which sounds like a Roman salad.

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  22. Cliff dwellings? by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

    I see cliff dwellings in this picture.

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    1. Re:Cliff dwellings? by Bat+Country · · Score: 1

      I don't, but there is a building clearly visible in this picture.

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      The land shall stone them with the bread of his son.
    2. Re:Cliff dwellings? by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

      I think I see it. Is it white and geodesic in shape? Definitely alien in design and construction. Note the high perch - they must either fly, have extremely long legs for their body size, or are obsessed with defensive measures. Perhaps they're the aliens that invaded the US government and started the TSA.

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  23. So, does this count by hcdejong · · Score: 3, Funny

    as a drive-by shooting?

  24. Face on Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In image #3 you can definitely see the same face one mars sticking out of the canyon.

  25. First Photo Looks Like Beggar's Canyon by DougF · · Score: 0

    back home, where I used to shoot womp rats...

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  26. OK- I'll bite- by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So what is an Enceladus?

  27. Re: by clint999 · · Score: -1

    There are none (or few, anyway) in the South Polar region of Enceladus. That's what makes it interesting, the terrain appears to be quite young.

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  28. Sobel by louzer · · Score: 1

    Looks like a Sobel operator output..

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