Re: Fw: Cassini Provides New Views of Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon

[Michael Turner]

On the contrary - it appears that the probe was specifically designed for a splashdown, with landing on a solid surface considered less likely when it was designed.  With no body of liquid to both buffer its impact and provide the ideal environment for its Surface Science Package, we probably won't hear much from Huygens when it reaches the surface.   -michael ----- Original Message ----- From: James McEnanly To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Monday, July 05, 2004 10:25 AM Subject: Re: Fw: Cassini Provides New Views of Titan, Saturn's Largest Moon That is just as well, since a splashdown would have meant that the probe would hav been silenced immediately. Mark Schnitzius <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: I read elsewhere that some scientists are disappointed that it appears that Titan's surface isn't liquid (it would have appeared brighter, apparently, if it were). They're now guessing ice. Might this actually be a boon to future Europa missions? Huygens will have to do an ice landing instead of a splashdown in six months. What a Christmas present that will be... --- LARRY KLAES <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>wrote: > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: NASA Jet Propulsion > Laboratory > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: Saturday, July 03, 2004 3:48 PM > Subject: Cassini Provides New Views of Titan, > Saturn's Largest Moon > > > MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE > JET PROPULSION LABORATORY > CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY > NATIONAL AERON! AUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION > PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91109. TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011 > http://jpl.convio.net/site/R?i=_wxhfzNzp8NO-3BCLCXxIg.. > > Carolina Martinez (818) 354-5011 > Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. > > Donald Savage (202) 358-1727 > NASA Headquarters, Washington > > NEWS RELEASE: 2004-171 July 3, 2004 > > CASSINI PROVIDES NEW VIEWS OF TITAN, SATURN'S > LARGEST MOON > > The Cassini spacecraft has revealed surface details > of Saturn's moon Titan and imaged a huge cloud of > gas surrounding the planet-sized moon. > > Cassini gathered data before and during a distant > flyby of the orange moon yesterday. Titan's dense > atmosphere is opaque at most wavelengths, but the > spacecraft captured some surface details, including > a possible crater, through wa! velengths in which the > atmosphere is clear. > > "Although the initial images appear bland and hard > to interpret, we're happy to report that, with a > combination of instruments, we have indeed seen > Titan's surface with unprecedented clarity. We also > look forward to future, much closer flybys and use > of radar for much greater levels of surface detail," > said Dr. Dennis Matson of NASA's Jet Propulsion > Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., project scientist for > the international Cassini-Huygens mission. > > Cassini's visible and infrared mapping spectrometer > pierced the smog that enshrouds Titan. This > instrument, capable of mapping mineral and chemical > features of the moon, reveals an exotic surface > bearing a variety of materials in the south and a > circular feature that may be a crater in the north. > Near-infrared colors, some three times redder than> the human eye can see, reveal the surface with > unusual clarity. > > "At some wavelengths, we see dark regions of > relatively pure water ice and brighter regions with > a much higher amount of non-ice materials, such as > simple hydrocarbons. This is different from what we > expected. It's preliminary, but it may change the > way we interpret light and dark areas on Titan," > said JPL's Dr. Kevin Baines, Cassini science-team > member. "A methane cloud is visible near the south > pole. It's made of unusually large particles > compared to the typical haze particles surrounding > the moon, suggesting a dynamically active atmosphere > there." > > This is the first time scientists are able to map > the mineralogy of Titan. Using hundreds of > wavelengths, many of which have never been used in > Titan imaging before, they are creating a global map > showing dist! ributions of hydrocarbon-rich regions > and areas of icy material. > > Cassini's camera also sees through the haze in some > wavelengths. "We're seeing a totally alien surface," > said Dr. Elizabeth Turtle of the University of > Arizona, Tucson. "There are linear features, > circular features, curvilinear features. These > suggest geologic activity on Titan, but we really > don't know how to interpret them yet. We've got some > exciting work cut out for us." > > Since entering orbit, Cassini has also provided the > first view of a vast swarm of hydrogen molecules > surrounding Titan well beyond the top of Titan's > atmosphere. Cassini's magnetospheric imaging > instrument, first of its kind on any interplanetary > mission, provided images of the huge cloud sweeping > along with Titan in orbit around Saturn. The cloud > is so big that Saturn and its rings would fit within > it. "The top of Titan's atmosphere is being > bombarded by highly energetic particles in Saturn's > radiation belts, and that is knocking away this > neutral gas," said Dr. Stamatios Krimigis of Johns > Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Md., > principal investigator for the magnetospheric > imager. "In effect, Titan is gradually losing > material from the top of its atmosphere, and that > material is being dragged around Saturn." > > The study of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one of > the major goals of the Cassini-Huygens mission. > Titan may preserve in deep-freeze many chemical > compounds that preceded life on Earth. Friday's > flyby at a closest distance of 339,000 kilometers > (210,600 miles) provided Cassini's best look at > Titan so far, but over the next four years, the > orbiter will execute 45 Titan flybys as close as > approxim! ately 950 kilometers (590 miles). This will > permit high-resolution mapping of the moon's surface > with an imaging radar instrument, which can see > through the opaque haze of Titan's upper atmosphere. > In January 2005, the Huygens probe that is now > attached to Cassini will descend through Titan's > atmosphere to the surface. > > During the ring plane crossing, the radio and plasma > wave science instrument on Cassini measured little > puffs of plasma produced by dust impacts. While > crossing the plane of Saturn's rings, the instrument > detected up to 680 dust hits per second. "The > particles are comparable in size to particles in > cigarette smoke," said Dr. Don Gurnett of the > University of Iowa, Iowa City, principal > investigator for the instrument. "When we crossed > the ring plane, we had roughly 100,000 total dust > hits to the spacecraft in less than five minu! tes. We > converted these into audible sounds that resemble > hail hitting a tin roof." > > The spacecraft reported no unusual activity due to > the hits and performed flawlessly, successfully > going into orbit around Saturn on June 30. The > engine burn for entering orbit went so well that > mission managers have decided to forgo an > orbital-adjustment maneuver scheduled for today. > > The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project > of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian > Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a > division of the California Institute of Technology > in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for > NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. > JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini > orbiter. > > For the latest images and more information about the > Cassini-Huygens mission, visit > http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov > and > http://www.nasa.gov/cassini > . > > -end- > > > __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages! http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail == You are subscribed to the Europa Icepick mailing list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Project information and list (un)subscribe info: http://klx.com/europa/ Sincerely   James McEnanly Do you Yahoo!? New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages!