Huygens Descent Onto Titan Countdown

[Winston]

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.

[reds4ever]

That image looks like a dodgy piece of ray tracing from a few years back.;O)

[Winston]

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.

[floppy_lobster]

Jupiter technically also (Galileo sent a probe through it)

The commies beat us to mars and venus.

[Provost Harrison]

I am very interested to learn what it underneath the orange clouds of Titan once and for all...

[Brent]

I knew this would be this month, but it hadn't clicked yet that it would be this week.

[MORON]

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*

[Brent]

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.

[floppy_lobster]

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.

[Az]

The commies beat us to mars and venus.

Commies

anyway, have some faith booger. ( no much choice now, is there? )

[reds4ever]

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.

[floppy_lobster]

Originally posted by Azazel

The commies beat us to mars and venus.

Commies

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.

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.

[Winston]

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!

[BeBMan]

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.

I read 3 hrs, but yes, that is not much better

3) A huygens probe has never worked on another planet. Its a bad probe.

Just see this as the first test

[floppy_lobster]

Hasnt a huygens varient tried to land on mars and the moon?