The Ringed planet

Directed by

Richard Smith

Written by

Richard Smith

Produced by

Catalyst ABC TV

Documentary, Australia, 2005, 26 min

Saturn. Girdled by its mighty rings, this is the most instantly recognizable yet least understood of the planets. Now, after a seven-year journey through the solar system, the Cassini spacecraft has finally arrived for what should prove to be an unforgettable four year orbital mission: “For everybody just peering over our shoulders looking at the images, they’re going to see exploration at its finest” says Imaging team leader Dr Caroline Porco. Cassini is the most sophisticated planetary explorer ever built, bristling with scientific apparadtus and some of the sharpest cameras yet flown.

Debate with :

• Sébastien Charnoz, Laboratory research on the fundamental laws of the universe in Saclay. Lecturer at the University of Paris 7 (Denis Diderot) in astrophysics and associate member of the imaging team for Cassini-Huygens ISS