As the Cassini probe prepares to plunge into Saturn鈥檚 atmosphere for its grand finale, space enthusiasts may find themselves misty-eyed over a spacecraft鈥檚 demise once more.
It is not unusual to have feelings for inanimate objects. Ever named a car or thumped a machine affectionately while calling it 鈥渢rusty鈥� or 鈥渙ld gal鈥�? We anthropomorphise them because they make life easier (mostly). Personification is natural when objects seem to have experiences similar to our own: a car 鈥渨heezes鈥� or a computer 鈥渟truggles鈥� to boot up.
Cassini鈥檚 grand finale:
Join us as we count down to the fiery end of the Cassini spacecraft鈥檚 mission to Saturn
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That effect gets magnified many times when the backdrop is space exploration. Cassini鈥檚 success in the harshest of places feels like extreme loyalty and heroism, and for some, its final journey like a suicide. It doesn鈥檛 matter that machines can鈥檛 feel 鈥� we do it for them.
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Friendly rabbit
Mass emoting over a space probe has become more noticeable in the 21st century. China鈥檚 2013 uncrewed moon rover is a case in point. In an online poll, it was named , which means 鈥淛ade Rabbit鈥� 鈥� a reference to the animal in the Chinese myth about Chang鈥檈, goddess of the moon. Chang鈥檈 3 was the lander that carried Yutu.
Naming is what parents do, and helped people feel connected to Yutu even before the mission. Like parents, we鈥檙e proud when they head off to explore new horizons; our hearts pound when we and break when things go wrong.
The media, particularly social media, amplifies all this by providing what feels like a direct connection with our plucky robots. When Yutu suffered a mechanical problem, people . Sina Weibo, China鈥檚 Twitter-style service, was inundated with posts, comics and photos; the 鈥渓unar rover yutu鈥� and 鈥淛ade Rabbit lunar rover鈥� accounts gained hundreds of thousands of followers. Beijing-based writer Zhang Yian posted: 鈥淭his is too heavy a burden. If the rabbit cannot stand again, maybe we should let it have a rest.鈥�
A with quotes in Yutu鈥檚 voice pulled more in: 鈥淚鈥檓 aware that I might not survive this lunar night鈥� [Chang鈥檈] doesn鈥檛 know about my problems yet. If I can鈥檛 be fixed, everyone please comfort her.鈥� The end of Yutu鈥檚 message yanked on the heartstrings: 鈥淚 am but a tiny dot in the vast picture of mankind鈥檚 adventure in space鈥� Goodnight, Earth. Goodnight, humanity.鈥�
Weeks later, the rover surprised everyone by 鈥渃oming back to life鈥�. It lasted another 30 months before signing off for good, prompting . 鈥淚 hope you have beautiful carrot-filled dreams. We are all proud of you,鈥� wrote one Weibo user.
Goodbye Philae
The European Space Agency鈥檚 Philae lander, the first probe to touch down on a comet, also stirred emotions. Although its deployment in 2014 from its mother ship Rosetta went well, Philae鈥檚 comet-grabbing systems malfunctioned and it bounced under a rock. If the solar-powered robot could move just a few inches, everything would be OK. The plight of the intrepid spacecraft, lost in the dark and needing food in the form of sunlight, made us feel helpless and bereft.
When ESA put the lander into hibernation mode after a brief spell of data collection, the media reported that Philae had 鈥溾��. , which had amassed 500,000 followers, portrayed the craft as a hero sacrificing itself to carry out a mission: 鈥�
Months later, Philae had intermittent contact with Rosetta, but lost contact again in late July: 鈥溾�︹赌�
In September 2016, photos from Rosetta revealed Philae on its side, wedged into a crack in the shadows. ESA senior scientific advisor the scientific benefits of knowing where Philae ended up and noted that 鈥渇or many people it is a huge emotional closure鈥�, like recovering the body of someone who had disappeared. Some media reports even referred to Philae鈥檚 location as its 鈥溾��.
Farewell, Cassini鈥�
For months, enthusiasts have expressed their appreciation for Cassini, dispatched to fly around Saturn and its moons, with more tributes 鈥� and eulogies 鈥� to come. When the spacecraft meets its end by burning up in Saturn鈥檚 atmosphere on Friday, the planet will no longer be quite as much of a mystery, but we will have lost our eyes and ears in its vicinity. Those of us who frequently checked in on Cassini鈥檚 progress will have also lost a friend.
So expect the moment it meets its fiery fate 鈥� having transmitted data to the end 鈥� to elicit powerful emotions again. At 1.5 billion kilometres away and full of machinery few of us understand, Cassini represents our humanity.
Read more: Cassini鈥檚 Grand Finale: where next in the search for alien life
