Initial Cassini results on Saturn's Rings

In this talk we will review new Cassini discoveries concerning Saturn's rings and their associated small moons, and place them in the context of the state of current knowledge and current "big picture" questions. The highlighted results will start with approach, include the uniquely high resolution Saturn Orbit Insertion observations, and continue through the first periapse pass of October 2004. Discoveries by a number of Cassini teams will be covered. In addition, recent Earthbased observations of interest, and recent theoretical developments, will be mentioned. More details on these discoveries will be presented in the associated special session on Saturn's Rings (P07).