Ten years ago, we landed on Titan

[LongTomH]

From astronomer Phil Plait's blog: Ten Years on Titan. 'We' in this context, of course, means humans, earthlings:

It was Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft, still on its way to entering orbit around the ringed planet, had already dropped a small probe named Huygens—named after Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, who discovered Titan—to go their separate ways. Huygens was aimed at the monster moon (bigger than the planet Mercury!), and on Jan. 5 began its descent.

Titan’s atmosphere is mostly nitrogen and twice as thick as Earth’s, so Huygens used that to slow initially, then used parachutes to drop safely down to the surface. While it did, it took a lot of photos and other data to investigate the alien world. Finally, after more than two hours, it touched down, the first time a space probe had ever successfully landed on the moon of another planet.

Here's the video of Huygens descent. You'll need to read Phil's commentary to understand all of what's going during the descent:

Ten years ago, we landed on a moon of a distant planet; last year we landed on a comet, and this year, we fly by Pluto and orbit and orbit the largest asteroid. If you don't feel a sense of wonder........what can I say?

[Mike Nelson]

1. Wonder...

...full!

[procon]

2. O.M.G. and is this the sort of stuff Cruz will cut?

Thanks for this. Seriously, I had no idea that so much space exploration was going on. This should be on the cover of magazines, choking out useless celebrity gossip columns, and writ big and bold above the fold.

[Warpy]

4. His daddy is a Jesus jumper

and would be offended if any life at all were found on another rock in this solar system.

You bet NASA will be hacked to ribbons for the next two years.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. all science, not just NASA.

At least I can say I voted. But too many others did not.

[shenmue]

3. Are they booking vacations yet?

It looks pretty fun.

[Warren DeMontague]

9. It probably smells like farts

But all in all not much colder than the midwest in January

Okay, maybe a bit.

[hfojvt]

5. If would be cooler

if you included a picture of the Sirens.

Don't truth me, and I won't truth you.

And at no time did I ever rent a tent.

[geardaddy]

7. Where are the statues that Malachi Constant

created?

[lastlib]

13. Captured and ordered in the army of Mars?

Personally, I'm watching for the signs the Harmonians made.......... )

[Warren DeMontague]

8. I watched this yesterday. Still stunning.

The digital reconstruction of the descent is pretty freakin awesome.

[progressoid]

10. Rec.

[Unknown Beatle]

11. If only Carl Sagan were alive to have seen that.

And of course, the landing on a comet.

[byronius]

12. SO FRICKING AWESOME.

Thank you.