Farewell Cassini: Saturn Spacecraft Makes Fiery, Final Dive
NASA's Cassini Mission Ends With a Glorious Descent
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Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP) -- NASA's Cassini spacecraft disintegrated in the skies above Saturn on Friday in a final, fateful blaze of cosmic glory, following a remarkable journey of 20 years.
Confirmation of Cassini's expected demise came about 7:55 a.m. EDT. That's when radio signals from the spacecraft — its last scientific gifts to Earth — came to an abrupt halt. The radio waves went flat, and the spacecraft fell silent.