Huygens signals its descent towards Titan

[lcooksey]

The Huygens probe has entered the atmosphere of the moon, Titan.

http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6881

Signals from the Huygens probe, which has begun its descent to the surface of Saturn's moon Titan, reached Earth on Friday morning. At 1038 GMT scientists at the European Space Agency's mission control in Darmstadt, Germany learned that a radio telescope has received a carrier signal from the probe, arriving at the huge and enigmatic satellite.

It means that the probe must have survived its punishing entry into Titan's atmosphere, and successfully deployed its parachutes. "We have heard the baby cry," says Jean-Pierre Lebreton, Huygens mission manager. "We know the probe is alive, entry was successful, and we're under the parachute."

Loud applause, with whoops of delight, broke out in the audience of scientists and journalists as the announcement was made. Huygens' entry into the giant moon's atmosphere could herald the success of one of the most ambitious space missions in history.

The 110-metre Green Bank dish in West Virginia, US - one of a network of 17 radio telescopes trained on Titan - picked up a faint new radio source on the moon in just the area where Huygens should be. It is an impressive feat - the Huygens radio transmitters are about as powerful as a cellphone, and a staggering 1.2 billion kilometres away.

[ret5hd]

1. uber-cool (nt)

[abburdlen]

2. Landed!

"Mission controllers say the tone from Huygens is still being received! The craft appears to have landed around 1245 or 1246 GMT (7:45 or 7:46 a.m. EST) on Titan and continues to operate from the moon's surface."

http://spaceflightnow.com/cassini/status.html

[annabanana]

3. Gawd I LOVE this stuff....n/t

[BlueEyedSon]

4. Can't wait for the pictures (hubba-hubba)!

[abburdlen]

5. Pictures by noon? (EST)

"FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2005
1403 GMT (9:03 a.m. EST)

Huygens remains alive and sending its beeping signal from the surface -- more than an hour after controllers calculate it landed. The relay of science data to Cassini concludes later this hour as the orbiter goes over the horizon from the landing site.

The first science information is expected on Earth about two hours from now. "


http://spaceflightnow.com/cassini/status.html

[Redstone]

6. Hot damn

I know there's other stuff going on in the world, but this is pretty exciting. We need some good new occasionally.

Redstone

[Minstrel Boy]

7. Well, I hope it's good news, and this

isn't the first thing beamed back.

[indigobusiness]

9. Great , pic. LOL...I'm not letting that spoil this for me...

best day in awhile.

I've got my fingers crossed for Sirens.

Exciting stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Redstone]

15. Good God, that's the funniest pictures I've seen in weeks

Thanks for brightening up my day.

Is this real? When was it taken?

Redstone

[stevedeshazer]

16. Where the hell is that?

Burning Man?

[Psephos]

27. RAD! This stuff makes me realize we really ARE living in the future

[bemildred]

8. Well, I just hope Cirocco Jones finds it in time.

http://members.aol.com/siure/varley2.htm

I have to say I think this is as awesome in it's way as the moon
or Mars landings. We put a probe ON Titan.

[depakid]

10. How cool is that!

it is awesome... I just don't want to get my hopes up..not just yet....

[Birthmark]

11. I've been waiting to find out what's on Titan for 40 years.

Within a couple of hours I'll see at last! What a great job by ESA and NASA. Those guys are GOOOD! :):):)

(Excuse the exuberance. Been up all night watching NASA TV. I may be giddier than I appear, too.)

[htuttle]

12. "Can you hear me now?"

"Good!"

[kedrys]

13. OUTSTANDING!!! :) n/t

[Squatch]

14. Mission control is receiving PSA data.

No Huygens data yet. Should be in 1/2 hour.

[htuttle]

17. Huge burst of applause just now at Mission Control (on NASA TV)

Lots of congratulating going on. Apparently, the data is now starting to come in from the Huygens on Titan.

Pictures from the surface should be available later today, according to this link.

http://spaceflightnow.com/cassini/status.html

[Squatch]

18. ESA briefing right now

Huygens is still broadcasting (more than 2 hours after touchdown)

[bill]

19. Data coming in from Cassini!

A big Congrats to the ESA!

[theHandpuppet]

20. Woo Hoooooooo!

Can't wait to see some pics of this amazing adventure. Thanks for the links!

[abburdlen]

21. Images in an hour or two

at least that's the plan according to ESA briefing

[theHandpuppet]

22. CNN to broadcast first pics live at 2 pm EST!

Just announced!

[Megahurtz]

23. Cool!

:thumbsup:

[ewagner]

24. This is just toooooooo cool

This is the kind of thing the human race SHOULD BE DOING MORE OF!!!

Obviously as opposed to killing each other or finding different reasons to hate each other.....

[byronm]

25. can't wait to see pictures

this is awesome stuff folks.. the possibility of seeing titan from the ground up. inspirational.

[abburdlen]

26. Pictures!

This is the first picture from Huygens released by ESA. Credit: ESA/NASA TV

Images so far are raw and unprocessed- seems to me to taken during decent. More to follow...


edited to add link to http://spaceflightnow.com/cassini/status.html

[Barrett808]

28. More! More! That's a subscription only site :( n/t