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January 14, 2005

The Huygens has landed.

That's the word from the European space agency. The little probe "that might" has become the little probe that "could and did."

"The baby is alive." Was the official first word from the Cassini-Huygens mission manager as the small probe beamed it's first message back from Saturn's moon Titan, indicating that it had entered the atmosphere, shed it's various heat shields and was descending on it's 2-stage descent parachute.

The tiny probe deployed as part of the tandem Cassini-Huygens mission sampled the Methane and Nitrogen rich atmosphere on it's way down to the planets surface. Huygens will conduct about two scheduled hours of sampling and recording of the distant moons atmosphere, which is believed to be similiar to the early stages of our Earth's own atmosphere. Video is also being recorded, compressed and beamed back to Earth along with the atmospheric data.

The plan at this time is for the Cassini mother ship to collect and store the full data broadcast from the Huygens probe. Cassini will create 4 simultaneous copies of the data as it's received, then rotate in space to turn it's main antennae array our way and begin cycling the full data set back to Earth.

Given the hostile nature of the moon's atmosphere, grabbing the full data set is more important that streaming real time data back to us. Once the Huygens probe shuts down, the relay will begin.

Given the 1.7 hour lag in communications from half-way across the solar system, the data set should be almost complete and broadcast back of the should begin shortly.

UPDATE: Following the successes of the Mars rovers that are operating far beyond their scheduled life-span, the little Huygens probe is transmitting beyond it's scheduled timeline. The batteries still seem to be going strong (remember the 1.7 hour lag). Cassini has recorded the expected block of information, but Huygens is still transmitting new data that our ground and satellite receivers can pick up and collect. Unfortunately, Cassini is speeding away from Titan, but we'll still get this extra data from Huygens, just without the redundant recording from Cassini.

All in all though, the Cassini-Huygens mission is a RESOUNDING SUCCESS!!!!

CLICK HERE for the NASA/JPL/ESA page giving video updates of the mission.

The Little Probe That Could!
Image Courtesy: NASA/ESA

UPDATE:
First Images from Titan

This is one of the first raw images returned by the ESA Huygens probe during its successful descent. It was taken from an altitude of 16.2 kilometres with a resolution of approximately 40 metres per pixel. It apparently shows short, stubby drainage channels leading to a shoreline.
Image Courtesty: NASA/ESA

14 January 2005
This raw image was returned by the ESA Huygens DISR camera after the probe descended through the atmosphere of Titan. It shows the surface of Titan with ice blocks strewn around. The size and distance of the blocks will be determined when the image is properly processed.
Image Courtesy: NASA/ESA/University of Arizona

--Jason

Posted by JasonColeman at January 14, 2005 9:30 AM