Radio Telescopes Will Contribute to Huygens' Mission
When Huygens makes its plunge into Titan's thick atmosphere on January 14, 2005, it'll be watched by a host of instruments, including the radio telescopes from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO). By measuring the frequency of Huygens' radio signals, scientists will be able to calculate the east-west wind speeds, and build a better model of Titan's weather systems. Another team will track the probe's trajectory to within 1 km (3,300 feet).
Just a few interesting updates on the Cassini mission and the eminent release of the probe:
On Christmas Day, Dec. 25 (13:00 hours AEST) ( 7:08 PM US Pacific Standard Time (Note: PST = GMT - 8 hours) Huygens will slowly separate from the Cassini mother craft. Spinning 7 times a minute, After sleeping for 20 days, it will then get a wake-up call from the onboard clock. On January 14 , the probe will slam into Titan’s upper atmosphere at a speed of around 6 km a second – 10 times faster than Concorde ever flew!
As the spacecraft’s heat shield reaches a temperature of 8,000°C, its outer skin will glow orange-red - but in less than two minutes the worst part of the descent will be over.
With its speed down to 1,400 km an hour, the charred heat shield will fall away, enabling the parachutes to open and Huygens then starts its 2-1/2 hour descent.
The cameras and other instruments on Huygens will then sample the atmosphere and are planned to take more than 1100 images of the alien landscape below.
The data gathered will be transmitted from the probe to the Cassini spacecraft now in orbit around Saturn. Afterward, Cassini will point its antenna to Earth and relay the data through NASA's Deep Space Network to JPL and other monitoring stations around the world receiving the faint 10-watt signal from Huygens.
The signal would be as weak as trying to pick up a mobile phone call on Venus from Earth!
NOTE : We are involved - Australia's Telescope National Facility and other radio telescopes in Parkes, Mopra, and those at Ceduna, Hobart, Tasmania are all part of the mision. The main job of the telescopes, including two University of Tasmania telescopes, is to track the position of the probe as it moves across the sky.
But the large dish at Parkes will also gauge the distance of the probe by measuring its doppler shift, the shift in wavelength as the probe gets further and further away.
This will reveal the depth of the probe as it sinks into Titan's nitrogen-rich atmosphere. It will also reveal any sideways motion as the wind catches the probe's parachute.
This information is part of a general press release I just sent out to all Australian media and is gleaned from a variety of internet sources including the ABC and NASA.
(Note the credits cited)
I wonder, if the probe will make it through re-entry. Nasa have generally got a good track record, but something like this has so many variables. Wonder wonder wonder.
