14 DAY TRIAL // The NASA Cassini space probe will fly extremely close to the Saturnine moon Enceladus later today. In fact, this particular flyby will be the closest the spacecraft has ever made to this particular moon, at an altitude of only 46 miles (74 kilometers).
The flight will occur later today, March 27, at 11:30 am PDT (2:30 pm EDT, 1830 UTC). During the maneuver, Cassini will point its instruments at the moon's tiger stripe features, in hopes of catching its renowned jets in action.
These jets contain large amounts of water-ice vapors and organic molecules, which contribute to maintaining Saturn's E Ring. These materials may also indicate a liquid ocean inside Enceladus.
Cassini has been surveying the gas giant, its moons and its ring system since achieving orbital insertion around Saturn, on July 1, 2004. The mission is managed by experts at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, California.