Three Kilometers Above Titan
Explanation:
What did the Huygens probe see as it descended toward Saturn's Moon Titan?
In January the
robot
Cassini spacecraft now orbiting
Saturn
released a probe through the dense cloud decks of one of the
Solar System's most mysterious moons.
Below the clouds, as it descended, the probe took images of the
approaching surface as well as several
images from the surface itself.
Many of the
images have now been digitally merged and scaled into the
above perspective from 3,000 meters high.
The
above stereographic projection shows a 360-degree wide-angle view
of the surface of
Titan.
The bright areas toward the top and left of the image are thought to be relatively
high ground laced with
drainage channels cut by rivers of methane.
The bright shapes on the right are now
hypothesized to be ridges of ice gravel.
Huygen's landing site, labeled, appears to be on a type
of dark dry lakebed, once fed by a large dark flow channel on the left.
The
Huygen's probe lasted an unexpectedly long three hours on
Titan's
harsh
surface.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
