2012 Edition -- Target 3: Saturn, Grade 7 and 8 Winner
2012 Edition -- Target 3: Saturn, Grade 7 and 8 Winner
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| Michaela Leung | ||||
| Odyssey Middle School | ||||
| 7th Grade Bainbridge Island, Washington Teacher: Liz Finin | ||||
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"Of the three pictures chosen by the Science Planning team, I think the Cassini spacecraft should visit Target 3 because it would yield the most information. This picture would give more information then Targets 1 and 2 because Target 3 shows more of Saturn and has the occultation of Spica in it. The occultation is important because then we can gather more information about the composition of Saturn's rings. Many questions could be answered and there are other reasons why Target 3 is a good choice. At the center of this image will be the occultation of Spica, the brightest star in Virgo, by Saturn's rings. The occultation, Saturn's rings blocking the star light, will give scientists information about the composition of each of Saturn's seven rings. The amount of light penetrating Saturn's rings will help show some of the structure and thickness of the rings and the shape and size of the ring particles. Occultations have been used several times to help scientists figure out how much material is in the B ring. We could discover more moonlets between the rings of Saturn. All that information could help solve some of the mysteries surrounding the composition and structure of Saturn's rings. We could learn more about the shape and size of the particles and how they interact. One of the rings, the E ring is made of mostly of small particles spewed out by Enceladus. Most of the other rings are made out of small pieces of ice and rock. How did they become that way? Are they the remnants of unfortunate moons? Or are they the last remains of planetoids from the formation of the solar system? These are just a few of the many questions that could be answered by Target 3. In addition Target 3 would provide a beautiful picture of Saturn and its rings. There could be some really interesting weather on Saturn that day and the picture could give more information about Saturn's weather patterns. The Saturn ring structure and composition information that can be learned from the occultation are great reasons to take the Target 3 picture with the Cassini spacecraft. Other compelling reasons include the beauty of the image and the interesting weather view. I can't wait to see this picture and the data learned from Target 3." |
