Institute for Advanced Study/Princeton University Joint Astrophysics Colloquium

The Cassini mission to Saturn continues to transform our understanding of this beautiful ringed planet and its entourage of moons. I'll provide an insider's view of the Cassini mission as the team leader of the Radio Science Team, and highlight some of the important science findings from our instrument over the course of the entire Cassini mission, spanning tests of general relativity, searches for gravitational waves, detection of internal oceans in Saturn's moons, measurement of the properties of the northern seas on Titan, and investigations of Saturn's rings and atmosphere. The exciting Grand Finale of the mission will begin on April 26, when the spacecraft will make a daring plunge between the rings and the planet to begin the final five months of up-close exploration of Saturn before Cassini's final crash into the planet on September 15.