LCHS Grad Clicks Pics from Cassini Cameras

A recent graduate of La Cañada High School has become essential in bringing pictures of the planet Saturn into our living rooms.

Eighteen-year-old Jessica Luttkus, a 2004 graduate of LCHS, has been working for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on their Cassini project to Saturn since October. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative venture of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. Luttkus has directed the capture of the famous picture, “Saturn From Far and Near,” taken by one of Cassini’s cameras on May 16, and later released to the press in early June.

“It happened by a fluke,” she said of her inclusion in the JPL team. Luttkus had the option of graduating early from LCHS because she had earned all the credits she needed, but instead she opted to look into LCHS’ Regional Occupation Program internships. Looking over the list of possible internships, Luttkus longed for something that included science. At the time, there were no internships set up in the ROP program for the local lab. She talked with some current JPL employees from her church and began to set up an internship. By summer, her internship had turned into a paid position.

Luttkus works with numerous computer programs to set targets for the Cassini cameras to take photographs. She also catalogues the photos online, selects the best ones, and then notes the navigation of the shots. Cassini flies by a new moon every two to three weeks, making picture opportunities possible. It retains both a wide angle and a narrow angle camera onboard.

“Nothing prepared me for it,” she said when asked if she had had any previous experience. She was able to learn how to develop and maintain Web pages, and also work with specialized programs to set camera targets.

Her work enables the imaging teams at JPL and the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo. to do further scientific studies of the images and, in some cases, send the photos out in press releases. Luttkus’ favorite part of her job is “being able to see what can go to press before it actually does.” She says she doesn’t routinely check the media to see if her pictures are used, but adds that her relatives eagerly take on that job. She is currently working on attempting to capture Saturn with many of its moons in the same frame, which would constitute a “family portrait.” She is also searching for possible photographs of Saturn with other planets that come into view.

Luttkus works under Dave Seal, the mission planner for the Cassini project, and also the author of many of the specialized software programs Luttkus uses in her work. “It’s amazing to have a high school student come on board and help us in that manner,” Seal said, citing the difficulty in learning completely new computer programs. Seal finds Luttkus a real asset to the mission because, “she performed a task that we wouldn’t have the time to do.” The Cassini team usually has more crucial projects to attend to and does not have time to target and organize the pictures, he said.

Luttkus plans on attending MIT in the fall and possibly majoring in physics. She says there is a definite possibility of working for JPL when she gets home for the summer next year. She has already set up 150-200 targets for the Cassini cameras in the coming months. Cassini’s next big encounter is with Titan on October 26. By then Luttkus will be studying at MIT, but will still have played a huge part in Cassini’s journey.

For more information on the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, go to https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm.