RocketSTEM Issue #7 - May 2014 | Page 31

The Rose: The spinning vortex of Saturn’s north polar storm resembles a deep red rose of giant proportions surrounded by green foliage in this false-color image from Cassini. Measurements have sized the eye at a staggering 1,250 miles across with cloud speeds as fast as 330 miles per hour. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI The images of Cassini Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI Old and new again: This false-color Cassini mosaic of Saturn’s moon Enceladus captures much of the frigid moon’s diverse geology. Cratered terrain dominates most of the scene. The relatively dense accumulation of impact craters implies that this terrain is among the oldest on the moon’s surface. The entire area is transected by a complex web of fractures and faults. The widely varied appearances of fractures attest to the fact that the surface of Enceladus has been shaped by a long history of intense tectonic activity. Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute www.RocketSTEM .org 29 29