Huygens images show hints of flowing liquid
Posted: Sun, Jan 16, 2005, 11:09 AM ET (1609 GMT)
Images and other data returned by ESA's Huygens probe show features suggesting of flowing liquid on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. Huygens images released Saturday showed features that scientists said could be drainage channels and possibly a shoreline of lake. They cautioned, however, that a dark area that appeared to be a lake could instead be a hydrocarbon slush. The surface where Huygens landed appeared to be soft, with the probe penetrating about 15 centimeters into the surface before coming to rest. Project officials confirmed that one of two channels of data from Huygens were lost because controllers failed to properly configure the Cassini orbiter to record and relay those data. Most of the data was also transmitted on the other channel, but some images and all of the data from a wind experiment were lost. The wind data may be reconstructed, however, by radio telescopes on Earth that monitored Huygens' transmissions.
Images and other data returned by ESA's Huygens probe show features suggesting of flowing liquid on the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. Huygens images released Saturday showed features that scientists said could be drainage channels and possibly a shoreline of lake. They cautioned, however, that a dark area that appeared to be a lake could instead be a hydrocarbon slush. The surface where Huygens landed appeared to be soft, with the probe penetrating about 15 centimeters into the surface before coming to rest. Project officials confirmed that one of two channels of data from Huygens were lost because controllers failed to properly configure the Cassini orbiter to record and relay those data. Most of the data was also transmitted on the other channel, but some images and all of the data from a wind experiment were lost. The wind data may be reconstructed, however, by radio telescopes on Earth that monitored Huygens' transmissions.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
|
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, August 12
Firefly Now Targeting Next Alpha Flight By Year’s End
Aviation Week — 4:54 am ET (0854 GMT) 'Russian Starlink' Is Fast Becoming A Reality, There's Just One Problem For The Kremlin
Radio Free Europe — 4:52 am ET (0852 GMT) Firefly Aerospace Announces Extension of Multi-Launch Agreement with Lockheed Martin Through 2031
Firefly Aerospace — 4:50 am ET (0850 GMT) Firefly’s SciTec Awarded $94 Million U.S. Space Force Contract to Advance Ground-Based Radar Digitization Program
Firefly Aerospace — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) Registration Now Open for Spacepower Conference 2026
EINPresswire.com — 4:49 am ET (0849 GMT) |
