RM
Huygens probe landing on Titan, artwork
Huygens probe landing on Titan. Artwork sequence showing the European Space Agency's Huygens probe using its heat shield (top left) and then its parachute to land (bottom right) on the surface of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn (dimly seen at upper left). This 1.3-metre-wide probe was launched from Earth in 1997 as part of the Cassini-Huygens mission. It entered Titan's atmosphere on 14 January 2005, landing in a region called Xanadu, and transmitted for 90 minutes to the Cassini orbiter overhead. Titan's atmosphere is mainly nitrogen with clouds of methane and ethane. The surface is a mixture of water and hydrocarbon ice.
More
Top Categories