Huygens entry emission: Observation campaign, results, and lessons learned
de Pater, Imke; Lorenz, Ralph D.; Lemmon, Mark T.; Lebreton, Jean-Pierre; Witasse, Olivier; Roe, Henry; Noll, Keith; Blancquaert, Thierry; Mazoue, Franck; Burratti, Bonnie J.; Holmes, Shadrian
United States, Netherlands
Abstract
An attempt was made to observe from Earth the emission from the shock layer and ``meteor trail'' formed during the Huygens probe's hypersonic entry into Titan's atmosphere. Although many observations were wiped out by weather or in-orbit failure, two observations constrain the emission from the entry. Several important lessons for future observations of spacecraft and other entries can be drawn.