Right now (2012) we are in the Golden Age of Planetary Exploration

Cassini

Rosetta

Messenger • Launched 2004 Mercury: • 3 fly-by’s (2008 - 2009) • Orbit insertion Mar 17, 2011 MESSENGER • Only prior mission was fly-by in 1975 MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging Mercury: MESSENGER

Expected Data Products: • Global stereo imaging (250 m/pixel) • Global surface composition maps • 3-D model of magnetosphere • Topography of N. hemisphere • Gravity field (16th degree) • Detection of water ice at poles?

First image of previously unseen side of Mercury, taken during the 2nd MESSENGER fly-by in Oct. 2008 Currently active spacecraft at : • 3 Orbiters – Mars Odyssey (2001 - ) – (2003 - ) (ESA) – Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2006 - ) • 2 Rovers – MER-A “” (2004 - ) – MER-B “” (2004 - )

Recently active s/c at Mars: • Mars (2008) • orbiter (1997 - 2006)

Imminent / Future Mars missions: • rover (launched in 2011, landing in Aug. 2012) • MAVEN orbiter (planned for 2013) • ExoMars rover (planned for 2016) (ESA) Saturn: Cassini / Huygens

• Launched in 1997 • Saturn orbit insertion 2004 • Huygens probe released and descended to surface of Titan (Jan. 14, 2005) • Elliptical orbit for multiple fly-by’s of Saturn’s • Mission extended through 2017 Saturn’s moons: Cassini Fly-by’s • 50+ moons • 7 moons with D>400 km • Multiple close fly-by’s for each large Cassini: T-57 Titan encounter (June 22, 2009) Close encounters like this still occurring every month even now (March 2012) Or this…. Iapetus D=1470 km Orbiter: Dawn In orbit around Vesta now, Leaves in May 2012 Arrives at in 2015

Ceres D=950 km

Vesta D=530 km Other Current Missions

• : orbiter and lander – Launched 2004; Comet rendezvous 2014 • New Horizons: fly-by – Launched 2006; Arrives Pluto 2015 – May continue on to Kuiper Belt Object • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – Launched 2009 • And more…..