Tears for Cassini: why it’s OK to well up over a lump of metal

Cassini

It’s been emotional

NASA/JPL-Caltech

As the Cassini probe prepares to plunge into Saturn’s atmosphere for its grand finale, space enthusiasts may find themselves misty-eyed over a spacecraft’s demise once more.

It is not unusual to have feelings for inanimate objects. Ever named a car or thumped a machine affectionately while calling it “trusty” or “old gal”? We anthropomorphise them because they make life easier (mostly). Personification is natural when objects seem to have experiences similar to our own: a car “wheezes” or a computer “struggles” to boot up.

Cassini_LANDINGPage

Cassini’s grand finale:

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