Cassini mission altered to salvage Huygens data
Posted: Thu, Jun 21, 2001, 10:22 AM ET (1422 GMT)
The Cassini mission to Saturn will be changed slightly to accommodate communications problems with the Huygens probe that will study the moon Titan, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday. The European-built Huygens probe will be released from Cassini in February 2005, three months later than originally planned, during Cassini's third orbit of the planet. Cassini will also fly much farther from Titan than originally planned: 65,100 km versus 1,200 km. The change, not officially announced yet by the Cassini project, was prompted by problems with the antenna on Huygens discovered during in-flight tests last year. The Huygens antenna does not properly compensate for Doppler shifts in its transmissions, and without changes to the mission designs much of the data transmitted would not be received properly by Cassini. Huygens will study Titan's thick atmosphere during its several hour descent to the surface.
The Cassini mission to Saturn will be changed slightly to accommodate communications problems with the Huygens probe that will study the moon Titan, the Associated Press reported late Tuesday. The European-built Huygens probe will be released from Cassini in February 2005, three months later than originally planned, during Cassini's third orbit of the planet. Cassini will also fly much farther from Titan than originally planned: 65,100 km versus 1,200 km. The change, not officially announced yet by the Cassini project, was prompted by problems with the antenna on Huygens discovered during in-flight tests last year. The Huygens antenna does not properly compensate for Doppler shifts in its transmissions, and without changes to the mission designs much of the data transmitted would not be received properly by Cassini. Huygens will study Titan's thick atmosphere during its several hour descent to the surface.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
SpaceX sets Nov. 18 launch date for sixth Starship test flight
Posted: Sat, Nov 9 9:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Friday, November 15
Sierra Space and DoE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Revolutionizing Thermal Protection for a New Generation of Commercial Space Transportation Vehicles
Sierra Space — 6:20 am ET (1120 GMT) 1st Space Brigade bolsters tactical interoperability, integration with UK visit
US Army — 6:17 am ET (1117 GMT) US the greatest threat to space security and the biggest instigator of space arms race: Chinese Defense Ministry
Global Times — 6:17 am ET (1117 GMT) Rocket Lab to Launch Satellite Constellation Missions from Wallops Island
WBOC-TV Delmarva — 6:15 am ET (1115 GMT) AST SpaceMobile Announces Launch Services Agreements to Enable Continuous Space-Based Cellular Broadband Service Coverage
Business Wire — 6:14 am ET (1114 GMT) |
