Titan here we come!
15 December 2004
One of the most exciting chapters in the history of space exploration is about to begin. After a 3 billion km trek that lasted more than seven years, ESA’s Huygens probe is ready to land on Titan, Saturn’s largest satellite.
On Christmas Day, Huygens will slowly separate from the Cassini mother craft. Spinning 7 times a minute, the small, saucer-shaped spacecraft will speed like an arrow toward the smog-covered moon.
After sleeping for 20 days, it will then get a wake-up call from the onboard clock. On 14 January, the probe will slam into Titan’s upper atmosphere at a speed of around 6 km a second – 10 times faster than Concorde.
As the spacecraft’s heat shield reaches a temperature of 8,000°C, its outer skin will glow orange-red. But in less than two minutes the worst part of the descent will be over.
With its speed down to 1,400 km an hour, the charred heat shield will fall away, enabling the parachutes to open. The cameras and other instruments on Huygens will then sample the air and take pictures of the alien landscape below.
Two hours later, Europe’s intrepid explorer will touch down on Titan’s unseen surface.
