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| Sunday, 30 January 2005 |
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Junior Observer |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Huygens explores mysteries of Titan
All those who are interested in space travel will know that the Huygens successfully completed its mission to the atmosphere and surface of Titan, the largest and most mysterious moon of Saturn. After a 4,000 million kilometre journey through the solar system, that lasted almost seven years, the Huygens probe plunged into the hazy atmosphere of Titan on January 14 and landed safely on its frozen ground. It continued transmitting from the surface for several hours, even after the Cassini orbiter dropped below the horizon and stopped recording the data to be relayed to Earth. Cassini received important data from the surface of Titan for an hour and 12 minutes. More than 474 megabytes of data were received in 3 hours and 44 minutes from Huygens, including over 350 pictures collected during the descent and while on the ground. This revealed a landscape modelled by erosion with drainage channels, shoreline-like features and even pebble-shaped objects on the surface.
The probe's signal, monitored by a global network of radio telescopes on Earth, will help reconstruct its actual trajectory (the path followed by a moving object) with an accuracy of one kilometre and will provide data on Titan's winds. Early analysis of the received signal indicate that Huygens was still transmitting after three hours on the surface. Later recordings are being analysed to see how long Huygens kept transmitting from the surface. Samples of aerosols were also collected at altitudes between 125 and 20 km and analysed on board. During the descent, sounds were recorded to detect possible distant thunder and lightning, providing an exciting acoustic backdrop to Huygens' descent. As the probe touched down at a speed of about 4.5 metres per second, a whole series of instruments provided a large amount of data on the texture of the surface, which resembles wet sand or clay with a thin solid crust, and its composition as mainly a mix of dirty water, ice and hydrocarbon ice, resulting in a darker soil than expected. The temperature measured at ground level was about -180 degrees Celsius. Some stunning preliminary results were presented shortly after the science teams obtained access to their data, on January 15. The scientists will be able to deliver a better view of this strange distant world after several days of processing and analysis of these results. (Courtesy: ESA) **** What is NASA ? National Aeronautics and Space Administration which is better known as NASA is the agency of the United States government responsible for developing space exploration and research initiatives, as well as coordinating various communications-related projects. NASA also administers the space shuttle programme and a variety of other endeavours, which include improving the performance of airplanes and rockets (aeronautics), conducting scientific experiments in space, improving data-tracking technology, increasing international alliances for space activities, and establishing partnerships between private companies and government agencies in the aeronautics industry. NASA was created in 1958. The agency conducts significant aerospace research and runs innovative space flight programmes, including the shuttle programme. NASA is based in Washington, D.C., and is under the guidance of the president of the United States. The president is mainly responsible for determining NASA's budget, which directly affects the mission and goals of the agency. **** NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity has found an iron meteorite on Mars, seen in this image released recently. It is the first meteorite of any type ever identified on another planet. The pitted, basketball-size object is mostly made of iron and nickel. Mars Rover Opportunity used its panoramic camera to take the images used in the approximately true-colour composite images shown here. Scientists said the discovery was made recently while Opportunity was taking a look at a space craft shell that was jattisoned before landing after protecting the Rover during its plunge through the Martian atmosphere. (AFP photo/NASA) |
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