Cassini mission altered to salvage Huygens data
Posted: Thu, Jun 21, 2001, 10:22 AM ET (1422 GMT)
The Cassini mission to Saturn will be changed slightly to accommodate communications problems with the Huygens probe that will study the moon Titan, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday. The European-built Huygens probe will be released from Cassini in February 2005, three months later than originally planned, during Cassini's third orbit of the planet. Cassini will also fly much farther from Titan than originally planned: 65,100 km versus 1,200 km. The change, not officially announced yet by the Cassini project, was prompted by problems with the antenna on Huygens discovered during in-flight tests last year. The Huygens antenna does not properly compensate for Doppler shifts in its transmissions, and without changes to the mission designs much of the data transmitted would not be received properly by Cassini. Huygens will study Titan's thick atmosphere during its several hour descent to the surface.
The Cassini mission to Saturn will be changed slightly to accommodate communications problems with the Huygens probe that will study the moon Titan, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday. The European-built Huygens probe will be released from Cassini in February 2005, three months later than originally planned, during Cassini's third orbit of the planet. Cassini will also fly much farther from Titan than originally planned: 65,100 km versus 1,200 km. The change, not officially announced yet by the Cassini project, was prompted by problems with the antenna on Huygens discovered during in-flight tests last year. The Huygens antenna does not properly compensate for Doppler shifts in its transmissions, and without changes to the mission designs much of the data transmitted would not be received properly by Cassini. Huygens will study Titan's thick atmosphere during its several hour descent to the surface.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Saturday, September 12
US Space Command Should Always Be Led by a Guardian
Air and Space Forces Magazine — 12:42 am ET (0442 GMT) More hotels and roads? Here's how SpaceX could change the economy in Acadiana.
Acadiana (LA) Advocate — 12:39 am ET (0439 GMT) SpaceX to Get Weighting Boost in Nasdaq 100 After Rebalance
Bloomberg News — 12:38 am ET (0438 GMT) India needs to launch the space act it keeps scrubbing
The Times of India — 12:37 am ET (0437 GMT) Greek Astrophysicist Calls for European Space Autonomy
Greek City Times — 12:35 am ET (0435 GMT) |
