CASSINI'S GRAVITY ASSIST SWINGBY (GAS) OF EARTH should occur on August 25th, 1999 at a speed of 711.666 miles per minute, and an altitude of 496.8 miles. By NASA's own admission, if something goes wrong and there is an inadvertent reentry, 32% - 34% of the 72.3 pounds of deadly plutonium would vaporize, dispersing worldwide. QUESTION 1: Must Cassini have a Gravity Assist Swingby of Earth to reach Saturn? QUESTION 2: If not, when would Cassini reach Saturn? QUESTION 3: Would any of Cassini's 18 experiments be compromised because the window of opportunity was lost to perform them? We must stop the funding by Congress of the 9 future NASA plutonium missions now scheduled over the next 6 years as well as the 25 Billion that is to be spent on the Star Wars program during the same period. Read Gambling with the Devil for more on the Cassini Flyby |
|