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Huygens  Descent and Radiometer Data

Huygens is a probe sent to take measurements of Saturn's Largest Moon, Titan. The probe takes pictures from a one-sided camera that is in rapid rotation when the probe was spiraled from cassini. the images were mapped out into a scope-like feature, called a radiometer, to map out all 360 degrees of photography from the one sided-cameras, this processing done at Arizona State University. The Probe was developed as a partnership, involving the European Space Agency (esa), Italian Space Agency (asi) and NASA. Featured images are from the videos of Huygens Descent into Titan, Goog le video search.... 148112main_pia08118-320-cc.mov and 148081main_PIA08117_titan_data.mov

148081main_PIA08117_titan_data.mov is shown below..

The orange orb in the Left of Center is showing huygens as its heat-shield is being heated, the time is above and the compass shows the sun in orange the satellite to which Huygens is relaying it's data to in blue and the direction of the Huygens one-sided-camera direction, The thick green line is showing the amount of spin the probe is achieving. In the hard to read chart is atmospheric, image status spectra photometry data and a signal to cassini chart. The Video called Huygens-Bells and Whistles has an audio track. 


Audio Only Quick Listen Now! 

148081main_PIA08117_titan_data.mov

Sounds from a left speaker trace Huygens' motion, with tones changing with rotational speed and the tilt of the parachute. There also are clicks that clock the rotational counter, as well as sounds for the probe's heat shield hitting Titan's atmosphere, parachute deployments, heat shield release, jettison of the camera cover and touchdown.

Sounds from a right speaker go with the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer activity. There's a continuous tone that represents the strength of Huygens' signal to Cassini. Then there are 13 different chimes - one for each of instrument's 13 different science parts - that keep time with flashing-white-dot exposure counters. During its descent, the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer took 3,500 exposures.


 

 

Pictures are about to be filled in from cameras that are looking in all directions from one side of the probe, using the probes spin and many pictures to make a 360-fisheye view.

Yellow placeholders=side-looking

Green=Medium resolution

Aqua=High resolution, downward-looking

 

Huygens main parachute is about to detach, moments later to be replaced by a stabilizer chute which will make the probe fall more-less straight down. 

 

"The Eagle Has Landed" looking now permanently southward a picture of the moonwalk is seen on the left as a scale for the huygens perspective.

Data at the surface

1 km/h winds

1467mb pressure at surface (earth is usually 1028mb-1032mb)

-160degrees Celsius 

 


 

Shortly before the probe lands, a lamp, called the Surface Science Lamp, a 20 Watt lamp turns on to shine wavelengths that otherwise don't make it to this level in order to identify through spectroscopy just what elements make up this, Saturn's largest moon, Titan

 

There was much expectation that there would be huge amounts of liquid methane and ethane like oceans on the surface of titan, but the probe landed in what appears to be a dry riverbed adding more questions than answers. 

Violet color seems to be a color of interest to scientist. As this, a short wavelength (100nm(uv-c)-380nm(violet,visible)), is easily obscured by the particulates and the haze that makes up allot of titans atmosphere. but can also give an indication of how strong the solar radiation and its heat are distributed along this haze. On Huygens were allot of violet photometers, a special camera to detect violet and ultraviolet, which most ordinary consumer cameras are not geared to sensing. In fact, the lowest wavelength most cameras use of it's primary colors is blue (480nm)

University of Arizona-huygens data compiling