On this day in 2017 - April 26th - the Cassini spacecraft made the first dive of the Grande Finale of its 13-year study of the Saturnian system.

It was the first of a series of close orbits that involved Cassini diving between Saturn and its rings. Astronomers collected data to learn more about the origins, mass, and age of Saturn's rings, as well as the mysteries of the gas giant's interior.