At 4:43 A.M. on Oct. 15, 1997, the staccato crackle of the Titan IVB/Centaur’s two side-mounted solid rocket boosters shattered the predawn gloom. Pushing Cassini-Huygens off the pad with a thrust of 3.4 million pounds (1.5 million kilograms), their bright glare turned night into day (and set off numerous car alarms) above a sleeping Florida. Continue reading "Oct. 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches" The post Oct. 15, 1997: Cassini-Huygens launches appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .