Astronomy Picture of the Day -- Huygens: Titan Descent Movie

NASA ^ | January 21, 2013 | (see photo credit)

[SunkenCiv]

Explanation: What would it look like to land on Saturn's moon Titan? The European Space Agency's Huygens probe set down on the Solar System's cloudiest moon in 2005, and a time-lapse video of its descent images was created. Huygens separated from the robotic Cassini spacecraft soon after it achieved orbit around Saturn in late 2004 and began approaching Titan. For two hours after arriving, Huygens plummeted toward Titan's surface, recording at first only the shrouded moon's opaque atmosphere. The computerized truck-tire sized probe soon deployed a parachute to slow its decent, pierced the thick clouds, and began transmitting images of a strange surface far below never before seen in visible light. Landing in a dried sea and surviving for 90 minutes, Huygen's return unique images of a strange plain of dark sandy soil strewn with smooth, bright, fist-sized rocks of ice.

[SunkenCiv]

[Credit: ESA/NASA/JPL/U. Arizona; Music: Beethoven's Piano Concerto #4; YouTube Upload: djxatlanta]

[SunkenCiv]

The movie is from 2005, was uploaded last year, remains interesting today. Check out the FR keywords "Titan", "Huygens", and "Saturn".

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[The Cajun]

Ain't no sharp edges anywhere, something done a good polishing job.
Seriously, hope I'm still alive when they are able to land a nuke powered rover on Titan or Europa.

[shibumi]

Very, very cool.

Thanks!

[shibumi]

"Seriously, hope I'm still alive when they are able to land a nuke powered rover on Titan or Europa."

In that case first figure on outliving the current Communists and then add 10 years minimum to make up for the damage they've done.

I hope you get your wish (for many reasons on many levels.)

[The Cajun]

Probably be 80-85 by then, longer than that, probably won’t give a damn :)

[mosesdapoet]

Amazing 81 and gettin older by da day thank you Lord ...Thanks for the posting Cajun...

[jmcenanly]

Your 'rover' might be a boat. ESA is proposing the Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer (TALISE) to sample one of Titan's lakes.

[left that other site]

Looks like the dome of the rock.

Good place for it.