Saturn Revisited and Titan Unveiled
- Paper number
IAC-05-P.E.6.01
- Author
Dr. Henk Olthof, European Space Agency (ESA)/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- Year
2005
- Abstract
On 25 March 2005 it was exactly 350 year after the discovery of the biggest moon of Saturn, later called Titan, by the famous Dutch 17th century scientist Christiaan Huygens. Christiaan Huygens made his important discovery of Titan in the 17th century using the recently invented instrument, the telescope, with the best lenses available. With new observational techniques that became available in the 20th century, it was discovered that Titan has an atmosphere with a composition that is unique in our solar system. The encounter of the NASA Voyager 1 spacecraft with Titan in 1980 provided intriguing data. The NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini/Huygens mission, a concerted effort combining the creativity and ingenuity of European and American scientists and engineers, allows in-situ study of this fascinating and intriguing body in the first decade of the 21st century. Launched in 1997 and after a flight of 7 years ,on 1 July 2004 , the Cassini/Huygens spacecraft was successfully inserted in orbit around Saturn and is continuously returning fascinating data of Saturn, its rings, moons and magnetosphere. On 14 January 2005 the Huygens probe entered the atmosphere of Titan, landed safely. Huygens provided unprecedented data on the physical condition, the structure and composition of the atmosphere and the surface of this mysterious object. Three distinguished speakers from USA and Europe will describe the Cassini/Huygens mission and present the results obtained with the instruments on the Cassini orbiter as well as on the Huygens probe. The potential outlook for future exploration of the outer solar system will be addressed. Significant time will be available for audience participation through questions and answers.
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-05-P.E.6.01.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
To get the manuscript, please contact IAF Secretariat.