Thanks to its scientific successes, stunning images, and the sad circumstances of its demise, Cassini is viewed with deep affection by NASA researchers and space enthusiasts alike. Some of the features in Saturn's rings are named for team members' pets; one of the engineers named his daughter Phoebe for one of Saturn's moons.
Many members of the Cassini team refer to the spacecraft as a “she” and they ascribe “her” human traits: curiosity, intelligence, determination, valor.
“It's like the loss of a friend,” said Spilker, who has worked on the mission since its inception in the late 1980s.
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