Jacques van Oene
January 17th 05, 06:03 PM
LOCKHEED MARTIN-BUILT HUYGENS INSTRUMENT TAKES TITANIC SNAPSHOTS OF SATURN
MOON
DENVER, COLO., January 15, 2005
After over seven years in space, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens
probe has descended through the atmosphere of Titan, the largest of Saturn's
multitude of moons. Pictures of Titan's exotic environment were provided by
the Descent Imager/ Spectral Radiometer (DISR), a complex instrument
designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for the University of
Arizona and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA's Cassini
spacecraft, with the Huygens probe in tow, was inserted into orbit around
Saturn on June 30, 2004, initiating four years of orbital science
investigations of the giant ringed planet and its many mysterious moons.
"We couldn't be more pleased for our colleagues at the University of
Arizona, NASA and ESA as Huygens has allowed us unprecedented access to one
of the most mysterious moons in the solar system," said James Crocker, vice
president, Civil Space, at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "The
superb performance of the DISR hardware and the many years of hard work by
the DISR team are equally gratifying, and we're proud to play a role in this
exciting international voyage of exploration."
As Huygens descended by parachute through Titan's thick atmosphere, DISR
made a range of imaging and spectral observations using several sensors and
fields of view. The radiation balance of the atmosphere was measured by
monitoring the upward and downward flow of radiation. A calculation of the
size, number and density of suspended particles in the atmosphere was made
possible by measuring the light intensity around the Sun. Two imagers (one
visible, one infrared) observed the surface during the latter stages of the
descent, and built up a mosaic of pictures around the touch down site. A
side-view visible imager captured a horizontal view of the horizon and the
underside of the cloud deck. The spectral measurements of the surface were
enabled by a lamp that switched on shortly before touch down to augment the
weak sunlight.
The study of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one of the major goals of the
Cassini/Huygens mission. Although it is believed to be too cold to support
life, haze-covered Titan may preserve, in deep-freeze, many of the same
chemical compounds that preceded life on Earth.
The Huygens descent and touch down is the most distant descent by a robotic
probe ever attempted on another object in the solar system. Over the course
of the orbital mission, Cassini will have executed 45 flybys of Titan,
coming as close as approximately 590 miles (950 km) above the surface. This
will permit high-resolution mapping of the moon's surface with an imaging
radar instrument, which can see through the opaque haze of Titan's upper
atmosphere.
The second largest planet in our solar system, after Jupiter, Saturn serves
as a natural laboratory to better understand the formation of our Solar
System five billion years ago, as the planet and its rings are a close
analog to the disc of gas and dust surrounding the nascent Sun that formed
the planets. Detailed knowledge of the dynamics of interactions among
Saturn's elaborate rings and numerous moons will provide valuable data for
understanding how each of the solar system's planets evolved.
The Cassini spacecraft was launched on a Lockheed Martin-built Air Force
Titan IV/Centaur rocket Oct. 15, 1997. The Cassini propulsion module - also
built by Lockheed Martin - is the largest U.S. planetary spacecraft
propulsion system ever built, and was fired 17 times en route to Saturn, and
will be ignited approximately 150 more times before the end of the mission.
In addition to DISR, the Titan IV/Centaur and the propulsion system,
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company designed and built the three
radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) that power spacecraft systems.
JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter. ESA managed the
development of Huygens and is in charge of operations of the probe from its
control center in Darmstadt, Germany. The Italian Space Agency provided the
high-gain antenna, much of the radio system and elements of several of
Cassini's science instruments. JPL manages the overall program for NASA's
Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is one of the major operating units of
Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space Systems designs, develops, tests,
manufactures and operates a variety of advanced technology systems for
military, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include a
full-range of space launch systems, including heavy-lift capability, ground
systems, remote sensing and communications satellites for commercial and
government customers, advanced space observatories and interplanetary
spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.
Contact:
Buddy Nelson, (510) 797-0349; e-mail,
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info
MOON
DENVER, COLO., January 15, 2005
After over seven years in space, the European Space Agency's (ESA) Huygens
probe has descended through the atmosphere of Titan, the largest of Saturn's
multitude of moons. Pictures of Titan's exotic environment were provided by
the Descent Imager/ Spectral Radiometer (DISR), a complex instrument
designed and built by Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] for the University of
Arizona and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). NASA's Cassini
spacecraft, with the Huygens probe in tow, was inserted into orbit around
Saturn on June 30, 2004, initiating four years of orbital science
investigations of the giant ringed planet and its many mysterious moons.
"We couldn't be more pleased for our colleagues at the University of
Arizona, NASA and ESA as Huygens has allowed us unprecedented access to one
of the most mysterious moons in the solar system," said James Crocker, vice
president, Civil Space, at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. "The
superb performance of the DISR hardware and the many years of hard work by
the DISR team are equally gratifying, and we're proud to play a role in this
exciting international voyage of exploration."
As Huygens descended by parachute through Titan's thick atmosphere, DISR
made a range of imaging and spectral observations using several sensors and
fields of view. The radiation balance of the atmosphere was measured by
monitoring the upward and downward flow of radiation. A calculation of the
size, number and density of suspended particles in the atmosphere was made
possible by measuring the light intensity around the Sun. Two imagers (one
visible, one infrared) observed the surface during the latter stages of the
descent, and built up a mosaic of pictures around the touch down site. A
side-view visible imager captured a horizontal view of the horizon and the
underside of the cloud deck. The spectral measurements of the surface were
enabled by a lamp that switched on shortly before touch down to augment the
weak sunlight.
The study of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is one of the major goals of the
Cassini/Huygens mission. Although it is believed to be too cold to support
life, haze-covered Titan may preserve, in deep-freeze, many of the same
chemical compounds that preceded life on Earth.
The Huygens descent and touch down is the most distant descent by a robotic
probe ever attempted on another object in the solar system. Over the course
of the orbital mission, Cassini will have executed 45 flybys of Titan,
coming as close as approximately 590 miles (950 km) above the surface. This
will permit high-resolution mapping of the moon's surface with an imaging
radar instrument, which can see through the opaque haze of Titan's upper
atmosphere.
The second largest planet in our solar system, after Jupiter, Saturn serves
as a natural laboratory to better understand the formation of our Solar
System five billion years ago, as the planet and its rings are a close
analog to the disc of gas and dust surrounding the nascent Sun that formed
the planets. Detailed knowledge of the dynamics of interactions among
Saturn's elaborate rings and numerous moons will provide valuable data for
understanding how each of the solar system's planets evolved.
The Cassini spacecraft was launched on a Lockheed Martin-built Air Force
Titan IV/Centaur rocket Oct. 15, 1997. The Cassini propulsion module - also
built by Lockheed Martin - is the largest U.S. planetary spacecraft
propulsion system ever built, and was fired 17 times en route to Saturn, and
will be ignited approximately 150 more times before the end of the mission.
In addition to DISR, the Titan IV/Centaur and the propulsion system,
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company designed and built the three
radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) that power spacecraft systems.
JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter. ESA managed the
development of Huygens and is in charge of operations of the probe from its
control center in Darmstadt, Germany. The Italian Space Agency provided the
high-gain antenna, much of the radio system and elements of several of
Cassini's science instruments. JPL manages the overall program for NASA's
Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C.
Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company is one of the major operating units of
Lockheed Martin Corporation. Space Systems designs, develops, tests,
manufactures and operates a variety of advanced technology systems for
military, civil and commercial customers. Chief products include a
full-range of space launch systems, including heavy-lift capability, ground
systems, remote sensing and communications satellites for commercial and
government customers, advanced space observatories and interplanetary
spacecraft, fleet ballistic missiles and missile defense systems.
Contact:
Buddy Nelson, (510) 797-0349; e-mail,
--
--------------
Jacques :-)
www.spacepatches.info