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298-Titan Touchdown

August 7

The Huygens probe successfully landed on Saturn’s largest moon Titan at about 11:30 UTC on January 14, 2005. The descent lasted two hours and 27 minutes. The probe survived another 72 minutes on the surface of Titan. This was the first – and, so far, the only – landing in the outer solar system. Huygens holds the record as the most distant landing from Earth.
Image credit: ESA – C. Carreau

On Jan. 14, 2005, ESA’s Huygens probe made its descent to the surface of Saturn’s hazy moon, Titan. Carried to Saturn by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, Huygens made the most distant landing ever on another world, and the only landing on a body in the outer solar system. This video uses actual images taken by the probe during its two-and-a-half hour fall under its parachutes.

A 2004 artist’s impression of the landing unit ‘Huygens’ left, separating from the ‘Cassini’ orbiter, as the spacecraft advances on Saturn’s biggest moon Titan. European Space Agency/AAP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Separation of Huygens from Cassini

Details

  • Date: August 7