WASHINGTON — NASA’s Cassini spacecraft has begun the final stage of its mission after nearly 20 years traveling in space <br /> <br />The Cassini spacecraft entered its ‘Grand Finale’ orbits between Saturn’s cloud tops and the planet’s rings on April 26, CBS News reported. <br /> <br />Cassini survived its first dive between Saturn and its innermost rings, sending back never-before-seen images of the planet’s atmosphere, including a hurricane, according to NASA. <br /> <br />During 22 scheduled orbits, Cassini will measure ice and other content in Saturn’s rings, and take measurements from the planet’s rocky core. <br /> <br />Cassini will enter its final orbit on Sep. 15, in which it is expected to destroy itself by flying directly into Saturn’s atmosphere. <br /> <br />The Cassini spacecraft was launched on Oct. 15, 1997 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It traveled 2.2 billion miles to reach Saturn.
