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With the astonishingly successful un–
manned probe ofSaLUrn and its satellites,
man's fund of knowledge about his own
solar system has expanded remarkably.
Yet science has found few substantial
c/ues about the origin ofliJe on our unique
planet-Earth. Is sorne source ofinforma–
tion being overlooked by science?
by
Gene
H.
Hogberg
M
AN's QUEST
for knowledge
about the universe took a
quantum jump in mid-No–
vember, 1980.
Yoyager 1, an automated miracle of
technology, relayed to earth an incredible
stream of information from the planet
Saturn and its cluster of 15 moons-three
of them newly discovered.
lncluded were nearly 8,000 pictures and a
Aood of data recorded by the space probe's 1O
different scientific instruments. Measured was
everything from the Saturnian system's atmo–
spheric conditions to its magnetic field and
radio waves.
Mission control scientists at the Jet Propul–
sion Laboratory near Pasadena, California-
AGAINST AN /MAGE
of Saturn's ctouds is superimposed
a picture of Voyager 1. the remarkable automated space
probe. Voyager-snapped upper right view ot Saturn al a
distance ot 18 mil/ion kilometers (11 mil/ion miles) trom the
ringed planet. Off its ring p/ane lo the right, near comer, is
the moon Mimas. Computer-enhanced photo, right center,
shows rings in detail, with limb of Saturn viSible through
the rings. Outermost F-ring, bottom right, insel,
appears lo be a braided band, with knots in it. Black
dots in picture are reseau marks, spacing indica–
tors on camera lens.