That image looks like a dodgy piece of ray tracing from a few years back.;O)
On Friday, 14 January at 10:13 a.m. GMT (5:13 a.m. EST), the NASA/ESA probe Huygens is scheduled to enter Titan's atmosphere. During the next two hours, it will parachute to the surface of Titan, transmitting measurements, pictures and sounds to the Cassini probe orbiting Saturn. The data will later be relayed by Cassini to mission control.
Here's an overview at NASA on the probe mission to Titan.
I also found an interesting article on one of Saturn's other moons, Iapetus. Some very surprising and intriguing images were taken during Cassini's first fly-by of Iapetus on New Year's eve, including the one below. While not visible in this image, it seems a very long mountain ridge is running across parts of the moon at its equator, some of its peaks reaching an altitude of 20 km's (12 miles). It is the most striking geological feature ever seen on any moon.
On Friday during the Titan events, NASA TV Webcast will carry ESA TV, so we can watch the live updates and reactions from mission control.
I won't miss this, it'll be very exciting to follow.
So, note this is Iapetus, not Titan.
That image looks like a dodgy piece of ray tracing from a few years back.;O)
If memory serves, Titan will be only the 5th space body to have a man-made object placed on it. Moon, Venus, Mars and some tiny asteroid a couple of years back being the other ones.
Oh and Earth also, I just put my coffee mug down.
Jupiter technically also (Galileo sent a probe through it)
The commies beat us to mars and venus.
http://www.hotornot.com/r/?eid=OLHMHMB&key=RRK
:-(
I am very interested to learn what it underneath the orange clouds of Titan once and for all...
Speaking of Erith:
"It's not twinned with anywhere, but it does have a suicide pact with Dagenham" - Linda Smith
I knew this would be this month, but it hadn't clicked yet that it would be this week.
Now all we must do is use out mental powers to prevent intervension by annoying aliens that illegally blow up our probes.
*death to da aliens*
I am a bit annoyed about the aliens who kept messing with Mars missions, but really aliens are mostly harmless. Especially the ones that are too far away to ever cause us any trouble. Aliens are human only better, you know.
Less than 72 hours. I am really excited about the huygens. But im also peeved off a bit. There are some factors that they never took into consideration.
1) Titan is hazy and dark, any pictures would more than likely resemble smoggy Soviet Venera-13 pictures from venus. It is unlikely we will see lakes of methane unless were on a shore. Im guessing the huygens will take some excellent panoramics in the sky tho.
2) Huygens has a slight design flaw. Its batteries really suck. We will only get 2 hours worth of data (maybe)out of a 40 million dollar machine.
3) A huygens probe has never worked on another planet. Its a bad probe.
http://www.hotornot.com/r/?eid=OLHMHMB&key=RRK
:-(
The commies beat us to mars and venus.
Commies
anyway, have some faith booger. ( no much choice now, is there?)
Press release:
"I would like to draw your attention to the next programme in the
Stardate series - "Mission to Titan". This will be broadcast LIVE on
BBC2 at 23.30 on Friday 14th January and will feature the latest
images from the Huygens probe, which will have landed on Saturn's
moon, Titan, earlier that day.
As part of the show, we will have a live Question & Answer session
with 3 scientists who have been closely involved in the mission:
Prof John Zarnecki - the Principle Investigator who has dedicated 17
years of his life to work on the instrument that will try to figure
out the characteristics of Titan's surface
Prof Marty Tomasko - The Principle Investigator on the Huygens imaging
team. He's hoping to create fantastic panoramas of Titan's surface,
which has never before been seen, because of the thick orange haze
blanketing the satellite.
Dr. Athena Coustenis - A Titan expert, who also works on the Huygens
atmospheric structure instrument."
Now I know it's very sad to be staying in on a Friday night to watch space probes, but seeing as I got to be up early the next morning anyway I might just do that.
Man how I miss those commies tho. Back when we had some competition in space. I can name so many USSR missions that were so darn successful using one eigth of the resources NASA had.Originally posted by Azazel
The commies beat us to mars and venus.
Commies
Phobos 2
Lunokhod
Venera series was by the far the soviets greatest achievments (other than Sputnik and manned flight). Gave the best look at venus until magellan.
http://www.hotornot.com/r/?eid=OLHMHMB&key=RRK
:-(
There's a preliminary press briefing today starting at 10:55 a.m. EST, that's 3:55 p.m. GMT.
Then at 3:00 a.m. EST tomorrow (8:00 a.m. GMT), live coverage will begin and continue throughout Huygens' descent and the reception of the first chunks of data, concluding with another press briefing.
It will all be broadcast on NASA TV Webcast.
Don't miss it!
I read 3 hrs, but yes, that is not much betterOriginally posted by booger
2) Huygens has a slight design flaw. Its batteries really suck. We will only get 2 hours worth of data (maybe)out of a 40 million dollar machine.
Just see this as the first test3) A huygens probe has never worked on another planet. Its a bad probe.
Banana
Hasnt a huygens varient tried to land on mars and the moon?
http://www.hotornot.com/r/?eid=OLHMHMB&key=RRK
:-(
Rocks, smelly gases and 'goo'Originally posted by Provost Harrison
I am very interested to learn what it underneath the orange clouds of Titan once and for all...
"Goo" is interesting
Speaking of Erith:
"It's not twinned with anywhere, but it does have a suicide pact with Dagenham" - Linda Smith
this is baically all we have on Earth's surface too.Originally posted by reds4ever
Rocks, smelly gases and 'goo'
Then why in Gods name did we send a probe all the way to look at some more....?Originally posted by Geronimo
this is baically all we have on Earth's surface too.
hear hear!Originally posted by booger
2) Huygens has a slight design flaw. Its batteries really suck. We will only get 2 hours worth of data (maybe)out of a 40 million dollar machine.
This Huygens probe is the size of a freaken VW Beetle. it could have easily accomodated a 60lb RTG that would have given it power to operate on the surface for years just like the smaller viking landers on mars did. Cassini will be making passes near titan for years to come so if an RTG had been placed on Huygens we would be able to upload and transmit countless additional hours of observation from the thing. I can't believe what a wasted chance it was to equip such a large and heavy lander with a power supply equivalent to a car battery. It's really sad.
-edit whoah, I guess I can't blame the Euro's anymore. JPL just added my question about huygens lack of an RTG (in my recognisably inarticulate prose) to their Huygens lander FAQ and it would appear that a short term power supply was the plan from the start
here's a link to my question and JPL's response
Last edited by Geronimo; January 13, 2005 at 16:28.
We earthlings like a variety of rocks and smelly gasses and goo I guess.Originally posted by reds4ever
Then why in Gods name did we send a probe all the way to look at some more....?
What is annoying me is that astronomers keep saying that Titan's atmosphere is like early earth's, no it isn't. Geologists don't think the early atmosphere was nearly as reducing as we thought back when the Urey-Miller experiment was conducted. The early atmosphere was mostly carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide; not methane, ammoinia, and hydrogen.
Nothing to see here, move along: http://selzlab.blogspot.com
The attempt to produce Heaven on Earth often produces Hell. -Karl Popper
that's just nitpicking. Titans atmosphere is by far the most like the early earths of all presently known atmospheres. Certainly it is more like it than earth's current oxidizing atmosphere is.Originally posted by Odin
What is annoying me is that astronomers keep saying that Titan's atmosphere is like early earth's, no it isn't. Geologists don't think the early atmosphere was nearly as reducing as we thought back when the Urey-Miller experiment was conducted. The early atmosphere was mostly carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide; not methane, ammoinia, and hydrogen.
Last edited by Geronimo; January 13, 2005 at 16:46.
IŽll be sleeping at 5amThen at 3:00 a.m. EST tomorrow (8:00 a.m. GMT), live coverage will begin and continue throughout Huygens' descent and the reception of the first chunks of data, concluding with another press briefing.
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It's also a wee colder.
Methane as a liquid is a bit difficult to do on Earth.
Scouse Git (2) LaFayette Adam Smith and Solomwi you will be missed
"They'd rather their children all died then ever pay a penny more in taxes." Oerdin on OK.
I have to admit if the ESA got this thing right with the huygens. Its a cosmic hole in one. Its all in there hands now.
Comon ESA.... 5 hours to go...
http://www.hotornot.com/r/?eid=OLHMHMB&key=RRK
:-(
Yep, here's hoping everything goes well.
And that maybe all of us here on Earth will be able to understand the Solar System a little bit better with the data we're about to receive in the hours to come.
ESA!
ESA!
ESA!
"We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work...After eight years of this Administration, we have just as much unemployment as when we started... And an enormous debt to boot!" Henry Morgenthau, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Treasury secretary, 1941.
NASA
I wanna see some Rutan probes
Captain of Team Apolyton - ISDG 2012
When I was younger I thought curfews were silly, but now as the daughter of a young woman, I appreciate them. - Rah
Now it's exactly 2 hours until Huygens will enter Titan's athmosphere.
NASA TV Webcast has started it's full day broadcast of ESA TV, and there's a lot of interesting background info being given on the mission and the basic nature of the Saturn system.
It's kind of strange to hear people reporting on an ongoing space mission in British-English, but I suspect I'll get over it in an hour or so.
Go Huygens!
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