Titan A.D.

     The Huygens has landed! We have landed on Saturn's moon, Titan. Fascinating. The rocket blasted off from Florida some time in '98, and we're finally there. Last night at about 4:15 in the morning, Huygens detached from Cassini and hurtled through the thick atmosphere of Titan taking all sorts of measurements and readings. Pictures taken, audio recordings, temp, wind speed, chemical compounds, etc. There are photos and other info available too. Here is the link. Have fun and support space exploration. It is so exciting!




FACTS:

TITAN: Largest Saturnian moon. May harbor organic compounds similar to those predating life on Earth. Temperature is minus 292 degrees F (minus 180 C) - and you thought it was cold in MN!

HUYGENS PROBE: Spacecraft is 8.9 feet in diameter and 703 pounds (317 kg). Was released from Cassini on December 24 and landed on Titan January 14.
The probe will sample Titan's atmosphere, measure its wind and rain, listen for alien sounds and take pictures.


Other Relevant links:
Nasa home
ESA - The Eurpean Space Agency
We're spending millions just to crash a ship into a rock! Why? Click here.

Updates:
Newest CNN article - (1-15-05)
Listen to audio recordings of the winds of another world during the descent here. - (1-15-05)