IT TOOK two hours and 48 minutes for the answer to that oh-so- familiar whine of "are we there yet?'' to come back from the spacecraft Cassini, but it was worth the wait.

The first photographs of Saturn's rings popped onto the screens Thursday at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, stunning scientists and wowing the public following Cassini's voyage online. "Absolutely mind-blowing," proclaimed imaging team leader Carolyn Porco.

After traveling for seven years through space, the most instrument-laden spacecraft in the history of space exploration and its wok-shaped probe is delivering a payload of images and other data on the air, the wind speed and the magnetism of Saturn and its 31 (and maybe more) moons, said Peter Poon, JPL's mission system manager.

The ringed planet has intrigued earthlings since Galileo first glimpsed it in 1610 through his new telescope. In a modern era of war against terrorists, battles over red and blue states and political division about global warming, Cassini's triumph is a welcome instance of cooperation and shared scientific endeavor. Three agencies and 17 countries joined forces to send Cassini on its journey.

The spacecraft's findings will educate us about the beginnings of our own planet and challenge us to chart wider explorations in the future.