Faubion Students' Signatures are going to Saturn with Cassini

Mission launch occurred at 3:43 am CDT!

From the Web Site of the Week Archives:

September 20-27, 1996

Mr. Cole's Students are going to Saturn with the Cassini Space Mission!!!

The original message posted on this page on 20 September 1996 is as follows:

On Friday, September 20, 1996, the students in Mr. Cole's Math Classes signed postcards which have since been sent to the Cassini Laboratory. The signatures will be scanned onto a CD which will be placed on the Cassini spacecraft to be launched in late October or early November of 1997.

How Faubion Students' Signatures Got Aboard the Cassini Space Craft

Every Friday during the 1996-1997 school year, Mr. Cole's math classes at Faubion Middle School were introduced to a Web site. He referred to this lesson as "the Web Site of the Week". Although there was no Internet access in his classroom at the time, Mr. Cole introduced the students to information which he located on the Web to show the students how to use the Web for research. Among the most interesting sites discussed was the site posted by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL,on the making of the upcoming flight to Saturn, the Cassini Mission. As a part of the Cassini Mission's site, there was a page entitled "Fly your name to Saturn". The page explained how signatures which were being collected at the JPL through an address listed on the page. The signatures which were received on the back of post cards were to be scanned into a computer and transferred to a CD-ROM to be taken to Saturn with the Cassini Spacecraft.

When Mr. Cole presented the Web Site of the Week on 20 September 1997, he passed postcards out in each class. One student addressed each card, and several students added their signatures to the back of one of the cards. Afterwards, Mr. Cole mailed the postcards to the Cassini address. So, the students' signatures are on their way to Saturn and should arrive in 2004. Some students voiced concerns about what would happen if aliens took possession of the CD-ROM. Could they be in danger of being located by the aliens who found their signatures on the CD? Is it possible that aliens will view our signatures? What could happen if they do? What do you think?

Links to The Cassini Mission:

The Cassini Mission Home Page Find out the most current flight updates by visiting the Cassini Home Page.

The Call for Signatures to go to Saturn with Cassini Where we got the idea to send in our signatures.

Signatures from Earth Over 100 Faubion 1996-97 student's signatures are among those going to Saturn with Cassini..

The Cassini Teacher's Guide This is an Adobe Acrobat file for download by teachers interested in presenting lessons about the Cassini Mission.

Amazing Saturn View cool posters about the mission.

Cassini Art Work View artists imagination of the events taking place during the Cassini Mission.

Explanation of the Plutonium 238-dioxide used in the mission Find out about why all the concern over the use of plutonium in this mission. Are we safe? What do you think?

Created: 20 September 1996
Last update: 15 October 1997
Kenneth Cole
kcole@ns.waymark.net
Emerging Technology Teacher
Faubion Middle School