SUMMARY: Seven years after it set out from Earth, the Cassini spacecraft finally arrived safely at Saturn. Using its high-gain antenna to protect it from dust particles, the spacecraft crossed the ring plane early Thursday morning at 0203 UT (10:03pm EDT Wednesday). It fired one of its twin main engines for 96 minutes to slow down its velocity, and then pointed at Earth to transmit news of its successful arrival. The spacecraft then took detailed images of Saturn's rings, as Cassini isn't scheduled to ever get this close to them again. Cassini will now begin its 4 year mission to analyze Saturn and its moons.

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