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Cassini Huygens Probe is Ready for Separation

Posted by michael on from the breaking-up-is-hard-to-do dept.

Lucas.clemente writes "According to The Register, the Huygens probe has been given a clean bill of health and is ready for separation. The probe will enter the atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan sometime around Christmas, and is expected to give us some of the most Alien landscape pictures ever taken."

2 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Visible from Earth?? by another_henry · · Score: 2, Interesting
    From article:

    On 15 January 2005 it will begin its descent into Titan's atmosphere, an event that might even be visible from Earth, provided you have a decent telescope, and are in the right place at the time.

    Is this really possible? Considering this is all Hubble can make out of the whole moon, I find it hard to believe that the atmospheric entry could be bright enough to be seen from this far away. (The Cassini spacecraft itself is far far below the resolution of any Earth-based or orbital telecope)

    Would be cool though if Cassini could photograph Huygens' descent, but I expect this will be precluded by the attitute necessary for proper radio communication.

    --
    "Studies have shown that people who eat peanuts live longer than those who do not eat."
  2. It almost went horribly wrong... by MutantEnemy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Interesting story here about how it almost went disasterously wrong...

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