The outcry for Cassini was because they were going to use Earth for a slingshot boost. People were worried they would miss and it would crash (despite a gravitational slingshot never having failed in that way in any other launch).
In response NASA ordered Cassini to navigate slightly away from Earth, and NASA would transmit orders for it to redirect to earth at the last minute.
It made no real sense, but I suppose this way just in case NASA vanished into a alien portal Cassini would not crash into the earth :)
In response NASA ordered Cassini to navigate slightly away from Earth, and NASA would transmit orders for it to redirect to earth at the last minute.
It made no real sense, but I suppose this way just in case NASA vanished into a alien portal Cassini would not crash into the earth :)