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National Aeronautics and Space Administration John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899 FOR RELEASE: 11/05/2004 VIDEO NO: KSC-04-S-00352 CAPTIONED IN: ENGLISH |
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| The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft completes a second pass over Titan in preparation for a January touchdown.
In a move for the future, the Cassini-Huygens spacecraft is starting to fine-tune for landing as it draws closer to the moon Titan.
Almost grazing its atmosphere, the spacecraft just completed the closest pass ever over the moon.
Cassini came within a slim 745 miles of the surface of Titan, Saturn's largest satellite.
The latest over-flight is the second of three passes the spacecraft is making to refine its final approach for landing in January.
Following the flyby, Cassini began transmitting the nearly 500 images taken with its normal light and infrared mapping cameras.
Visible in the images are the moon's dense gaseous cloud cover and distinct surface features.
The close approach is part of the spacecraft's preparations for releasing the Huygens probe into Titan's murky atmosphere.
Made up of methane and other gases, Titan is our solar system's only moon with an atmosphere.
After touchdown, the Huygens probe will analyze the moon's mysterious surface.
Scientists suspect frozen in Titan's icy terrain may be organic compounds- the very same chemicals that led to the genesis of life here on Earth. | |
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