Shooting Through the Rings of Saturn Space Probe May Answer Mysteries

Shooting Through the Rings of Saturn Space Probe May Answer Mysteries:

"Big Stone Gap, Va. -- Space science enthusiasts will be glued to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) web site Wednesday evening to determine if the American-European made space probe Cassini-Huygens has swept through the colorful rings of Saturn intact and fully operational after the seven-year, 2.2-billion mile flight through space."

What a stupid idea! You're telling me it's taken seven years to get there and the first thing they do is fly it through a minefield!

Please explain why space geeks!? Ain't there a less hit-and-miss approach!