Cassini-Huygens

The Cassini-Huygens mission

Cassini is an international space mission involving NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), together with many other european institutes and industrial partners.

Prof. Iess and the radio science laboratory partecipated in Cassini's radioscience team.

Until today, Cassini is the most expensive and ambitious interplanetary mission ever realized. About 260 scientists, from 17 countries, are working together with the aim of achieving a better understanding of Saturn, its amazing rings, its magnetosphere, its satellite Titan and the other icy satellites.

In collaboration with prof. Bertotti of the University of Pavia and with prof. Tortora of the University of Bologna, prof. Iess carried out a radioscience experiment during the Cassini's cruise phase, which allowed to estimate with high precision the parameter γ and to confirm the general relativity with unprecedent accuracy. This result gained the cover of the scientific magazine "Nature", published on 25 September 2003.

Furthermore, prof. Iess and his team have estimated, with significant accuracy, the gravity field of many Saturn's satellites and in particular of the most important one: Titan. The experiment is aimed to constrain Titan's interior. 

scientific Publications