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Huygens probe entry and descent trajectory analysis and reconstruction techniques

Lebreton, J. -P.; Ferri, F.; Gaborit, V. +2 more

Cassini/Huygens is a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/European Space Agency (ESA)/Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) mission on its way to explore the Saturnian system. The ESA Huygens Probe is scheduled to be released from the Orbiter on 25 December 2004 and enter the atmosphere of Titan on 14 January 2005. Probe delivery t…

Determination of physical properties of a planetary surface by measuring the deceleration of a probe upon impact: Application to Titan

Lorenz, Ralph D.; McKay, Christopher P.; Seiff, Alvin +3 more

We report scale model laboratory experiments showing how an impact accelerometer on a planetary probe (based on the Huygens probe Phase A configuration) can provide significant information on the mechanical characteristics of the surface. In particular, solid and liquid surfaces can be discriminated. The density of liquids can in principle be dete…

Shading under Titan's sky

Grieger, B.

During the descent of the Huygens probe in January 2005, its Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer (DISR) will take the first close up images of Titan's surface. The shading imposed by the illumination of a planetary surface contains information on its topography. For planetary bodies without an optically thick atmosphere, the light can be assumed to…