NASA will turn control of the Cassini spacecraft at Saturn over to students for a day in a contest aimed at promoting interest in science among youth.

An essay contest for students in grades 5 through 12 will decide which of three science targets Cassini will photograph on June 10, the space agency announced on Thursday. Cassini scientists have often argued which images of Saturn?ˉs many moons and rings will produce the most science results, a task they are turning over to elementary and high school students for the ?°Cassini Scientist-for-a-Day?± competition, NASA officials said.

“Its a really fun way for kids to learn about Saturn and what the mission is doing,” said Rachel Zimmerman-Brachman, an education specialist with NASA?ˉs Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California.

On June 10, Cassini will be about 793,000 kilometers away from Saturn and zooming toward the planet at about 22,565 kph (kilometer per hour).

NASA

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