Resquiem for Cassini

As I said a few posts back, I am a huge space science dork.  My top 5 favorite NASA probes are:

1. Voyager
2. Cassini
3. Viking
4. Galileo
5. Spirit and Opportunity

Number two on that list disintegrated in the atmosphere of Saturn today.  Cassini was in orbit around Saturn for 7 years and made some of the most fantastic encounters of any planetary mission.  The most amazing discovery concerns a little moon called Enceladus.  Through Cassini, scientists have determined that Enceladus has a global subsurface saltwater ocean that might host hydrothermal vents.  It's probably our best bet for finding life in our solar system.

But Cassini was running out of fuel and rather than risk crashing into a moon and contaminating it, the folks at NASA decided to plunge the spacecraft into Saturn.  Cassini will dive into the planet's atmosphere, sending science data for as long as its small thrusters can keep the spacecraft's antenna pointed at Earth. Soon after, Cassini will burn up and disintegrate like a meteor.

This mix is a Requiem for Cassini.  Rather than an electronic, space music feel I went with all neo-classical and soundtrack cuts. The track titles tell the story.

Thanks to NASA and everyone on the Cassini team.




[ s t r e a m ]    [ d o w n l o a d ]    [ i t u n e s ]



T R A C K L I S T :

• 00:00    David Sylvian - Preparations for a Journey(Alchemy: An Index of Possibilities 1985)
• 03:05    Cliff Martinez - Have a Good Trip(Wicker Park ost 2004)
• 04:47    Max Richter - Journey 3 & 5(Infra 2010)
• 06:00    Balanescu Quartet - Empty Space Dance(A Serene Dance For You And The One You Hate 2005)
• 09:15    Robert Fripp and Theo Travis - Return to Saturn(Follow 2012)
• 13:27    Cliff Martinez - Finally, you two meet(Wicker Park ost 2004)
• 15:15    Jóhann Jóhannsson and BJ Nilsen - I am Here(i am here 2014)
• 18:35    James Newton Howard - I'm Listening(I am Legend ost 2008)
• 20:03    James Newton Howard - Talk to Me(I am Legend ost 2008)
• 20:41    Broken Harbor - Titan(Gramophone Transmissions 2011)
• 23:55    Echospace - Longing for Life(echospace [detroit] presents echoes in space 2014)
• 24:30    Adam Bryanbaum Wiltzie - Bring This Place to Life(Salero ost 2016)
• 26:50    Nick Cave and Warren Ellis - What Must be Done(White Lunar ost 2005)
• 28:40    Clint Mansell - Death is the Road to Awe(The Fountain ost 2006)
• 35:00    Max Richter - Never Fade into Nothingness(Sleep 2015)
• 43:51    Hammock - Things of Beauty Burn(Mysterium 2017)
• 48:00    36 - Sky Fire(Pulse Drive 2015)
• 51:35    M83 - Undimmed by Time, Unbound by Death(Oblivion ost 2013)
• 53:47    end