July 2004: Mission scientists back on Earth anxiously endure an 80-minute time lag as Cassini negotiates its way into Saturn's orbit. The probe's main engine fires a 95-minute 'burn' to slow the probe enough to be captured by Saturn's gravity. Meanwhile the craft goes through a pre-programmed series of twists and turns, alternately shielding itself from damaging particles as it dances between the planet's rings (producing this close-up image), and pointing its engine forward for maximum braking. The engine burns for just a minute less than its programmed 96 minutes, placing the probe in almost exactly the planned orbit.