The Cassini space probe has completed its 20-year mission with a fiery crash into the hostile atmosphere of Saturn.
It was a fittingly spectacular end to what is widely regarded as one of mankind's most important forays into space.
The spacecraft's grand finale began at around 11:30am Irish time with the final pieces of data landing on earth 83 minutes later.
For months the space craft - which was almost out of fuel - has been running dangerous rings around Saturn.
Scientists decided to crash it into the planet to avoid contamination of the moons if they lose control.
Cassini Programme Manager, Earl Maize said the probe would spend its final moments experiencing "a place no spacecraft has ever gone."
"We are going to be going 70,000mph," he said. "By the way, we are going to be doing it from a billion kilometres away - it is all going to be done from right here."
"Even a piece of sand at that velocity will take out one of our instruments - or if it is in the wrong place, it could take out the spacecraft."
One of the project's biggest discoveries was a global watery ocean below the surface of ice on one of Saturn's 53 moons - opening the possibility of life on other worlds.
Video: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Cassini Project Scientist, Dr Linda Spilker says more will be learned during the spacecraft's fiery death.
"In so many ways, the grand finale is like a brand new mission," she said.
"In fact I would not be a bit surprised if some of the discoveries we make with Cassini might be the very best of the mission."
The heat and high pressure of the orbital entry will have ensured that any trace of the probe will have melted and been dispersed throughout Saturn's hostile atmosphere.
After 13 years of constantly sending streams of information back to Earth from Saturn's rocky orbit - Cassini has fallen silent.
