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Catalyst – Planet of the Rings (2005)

Synopsis

A ride to the outer reaches of the solar system with Dr Richard Smith. This program is about one of the greatest exploration feats of all time – the Cassini mission to the planet Saturn, followed by the release of the Huygens probe into Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.

Curator’s notes

This nail-biting adventure is brilliantly told and illustrated by one of the world’s great science reporters, Richard Smith. It’s all the more extraordinary to be there in the engine room with the scientists who’ve worked for 20 years to realise this unique moment.

The program is brilliantly enhanced by a series of graphics and photos, which really bring this milestone in space exploration alive. Catalyst usually presents its television half-hour as a magazine program of two and sometimes three items. However, this is a Catalyst special, which for obvious reasons, takes up the whole half-hour.