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Applications of a new set of methane line parameters to the modeling of Titan’s spectrum in the 1.58 µm window

Drossart, Pierre; Bézard, Bruno; Lellouch, Emmanuel +11 more

In this paper we apply a recently released set of methane line parameters (Wang et al., 2011) to the modeling of Titan spectra in the 1.58 µm window at both low and high spectral resolution. We first compare the methane absorption based on this new set of methane data to that calculated from the methane absorption coefficients derived in sit…

The surface energy balance at the Huygens landing site and the moist surface conditions on Titan

McKay, Christopher P.; Williams, Kaj E.; Persson, Fredrik

The Huygens Probe provided a wealth of data concerning the atmosphere of Titan. It also provided tantalizing evidence of a small amount of surface liquid. We have developed a detailed surface energy balance for the Probe landing site. We find that the daily averaged non-radiative fluxes at the surface are 0.7 W m^-2, much larger than the…

Bouncing on Titan: Motion of the Huygens probe in the seconds after landing

Karkoschka, Erich; Schröder, Stefan E.; Lorenz, Ralph D.

While landing on Titan, several instruments onboard Huygens acquired measurements that indicate the probe did not immediately come to rest. Detailed knowledge of the probe's motion can provide insight into the nature of Titan's surface. Combining accelerometer data from the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI) and the Surface Science Pa…

The reflectivity spectrum and opposition effect of Titan's surface observed by Huygens' DISR spectrometers

Karkoschka, Erich; Schröder, Stefan E.; Tomasko, Martin G. +1 more

We determined Titan's reflectivity spectrum near the Huygens' landing site from observations taken with the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer below 500 m altitude, in particular the downward-looking photometer and spectrometers. We distinguish signal coming from illumination by sunlight and the lamp onboard Huygens based on their different spectr…

The Huygens surface science package (SSP): Flight performance review and lessons learned

Lorenz, R. D.; Leese, M. R.; Hathi, B. +1 more

The Surface Science Package (SSP) was one of six instruments flown onboard the Huygens probe to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, in the framework of the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission (Matson et al., 2002). The SSP operated throughout the probe's descent and after landing on Titan on 14th January 2005. This paper reviews scientific results…