OTD In Space – January 14: Huygens Probe Lands On Saturn's Moon Titan
- 3 months ago
On January 14, 2005, a spacecraft landed on one of Saturn's moons!
The European Space Agency's Huygens probe hitched a ride on NASA's Cassini spacecraft to Saturn's largest moon Titan. It parted ways with the mothership about three weeks before touching down on the icy moon's surface. This was the first time a spacecraft had ever landed on a moon in the outer solar system. Huygens took some amazing photos and collected plenty of data, which revealed that Titan has lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane, replenished by rain from hydrocarbon clouds.
The European Space Agency's Huygens probe hitched a ride on NASA's Cassini spacecraft to Saturn's largest moon Titan. It parted ways with the mothership about three weeks before touching down on the icy moon's surface. This was the first time a spacecraft had ever landed on a moon in the outer solar system. Huygens took some amazing photos and collected plenty of data, which revealed that Titan has lakes and seas of liquid methane and ethane, replenished by rain from hydrocarbon clouds.