Huygens (spacecraft)
Huygens was a space probe that landed on Titan, a moon of Saturn, in 2005. It was launched with the Cassini probe in 1997. The probe was named after Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch astronomer who discovered Titan.[3] Huygens was the first probe to land on Titan and the farthest place a probe has ever landed.[4]
 A replica of the Huygens probe | |
| Mission type | Lander |
|---|---|
| Operator | ESA / ASI / NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1997-061C |
| Website | Huygens home page |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | Thales Alenia Space (then Aérospatiale)[1] |
| BOL mass | 320 kg (710 lb) |
| Power | 1800 Wh total |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 08:42, October 15, 1997 (UTC) |
| Rocket | Titan IV(401)B piggybacking with Cassini orbiter |
| Deployment date | December 25, 2004 |
| End of mission | |
| Last contact | 13:37, January 14, 2005 (UTC) |
| Landing date | 12:43, January 14, 2005 (UTC) |
| Titan lander | |
| Landing date | 12:43, January 14, 2005 (SCET UTC) |
| Landing site | 10°34′23″S 192°20′06″W / 10.573°S 192.335°W[2] |
Overview
changeConstruction
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Huygens was built by Aérospatiale in France, now part of Thales Alenia Space. The heat shield was made near Bordeaux by Aérospatiale, now part of Airbus Defence and Space. Martin-Baker Space Systems made the parachute systems and other parts to help it land. IRVIN-GQ designed the parachutes and worked on the landing system with Martin-Baker.
In space
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On October 15, 1997, the Cassini spacecraft was launched. The Huygens probe was attached to it. On December 25, 2004, the Huygens probe left Cassini and traveled to Titan.
On January 14, 2005, the Huygens probe landed on Titan. It bounced and slid to a stop, finding pebbles made of water ice on an orange surface with methane haze. Huygens' pictures showed rivers of liquid methane, drainage channels, and dry lakebeds, which means there was recent liquid activity. While no permanent lakes were found at the landing site, later data from the Cassini mission showed lakes in Titan's polar regions.
Huygens found the surface to be like damp sand made of ice grains, with rounded rocks and pebbles indicating fluid action. The temperature was very cold at 93.8 K (−179.3 °C; −290.8 °F), with methane making up 5% of the atmosphere. The light on Titan was much dimmer than on Earth, with an orange sky due to Titan's haze. After 90 minutes, Huygens stopped sending data, even though it was designed to last longer.[5][6]
Landing site of the Huygens probe:
References
change- ↑ "HUYGENS".
- ↑ Kazeminejad, Bobby (May 2011). "Titan's new pole: Implications for the Huygens entry and descent trajectory and landing coordinates". Advances in Space Research. 47 (9): 1622–1632. Bibcode:2011AdSpR..47.1622K. doi:10.1016/j.asr.2011.01.019. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
- ↑ "Solstice Mission Overview". NASA. Archived from the original on December 17, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2013.
- ↑ Rincon, Paul (January 15, 2005). "Huygens sends first Titan images". BBC News. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
- ↑ "HUYGENS: THE TOP 10 DISCOVERIES AT TITAN". European Space Agency. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ↑ Tomasko, M. G.; Archinal, B.; Becker, T.; Bézard, B.; Bushroe, M.; Combes, M.; Cook, D.; Coustenis, A.; De Bergh, C.; Dafoe, L. E.; Doose, L.; Douté, S.; Eibl, A.; Engel, S.; Gliem, F.; Grieger, B.; Holso, K.; Howington-Kraus, E.; Karkoschka, E.; Keller, H. U.; Kirk, R.; Kramm, R.; Küppers, M.; Lanagan, P.; Lellouch, E.; Lemmon, M.; Lunine, Jonathan I.; McFarlane, E.; Moores, J.; et al. (2005). "Rain, winds and haze during the Huygens probe's descent to Titan's surface". Nature. 438 (7069): 765–778. Bibcode:2005Natur.438..765T. doi:10.1038/nature04126. PMID 16319829. S2CID 4414457.