Starting at 3 a.m. EST tomorrow (January 14) NASA will have live Web TV
coverage of the Huygens probe touching down on Saturn’s moon Titan.
According to NASA, this artist’s conception
appearing dimly in the background through Titan’s thick atmosphere of
mostly nitrogen and methane. The Cassini spacecraft flies overhead with
its high-gain antenna pointed at the Huygens probe as it nears the
surface.
Titan’s surface may hold lakes of liquid ethane and methane,
sprinkled over a thin veneer of frozen methane and ammonia. Most of the
brownish-orange color comes from more heavily processed hydrocarbons
present in Titan’s atmosphere and on its surface. Artistic license has
been used to exaggerate the size of the orbiter, the sharpness of the
icy features, the tilt of Saturn’s rings, and the visibility of the
planet through Titan’s atmosphere.”
More Cassini Huygens linkage:
- Landing preparations underway
- European Space Agency Cassini-Huygens home page
- Video highlights will be posted online
- NASA coverage
- Expected “footprint” of images
- Good summary of mission
- Weird: Huygens will be blasting modern music as it descends…
Will Kurt Vonnegut’s sirens be found on Titan? Tune in tomorrow and find out for yourself.