Tracking Huygens

[RJ Emery]

I seek a web page that would show the two separate paths of Huygens and Cassini about Saturn. I am having difficulty understanding where the two spacecraft are and why the probe is three weeks away plunging into Titan.

[crosscountry]

for some reason I though you said "see" not "seek"


oops

[Burokrat]

I seek a web page that would show the two separate paths of Huygens and Cassini about Saturn. I am having difficulty understanding where the two spacecraft are and why the probe is three weeks away plunging into Titan.

The two orbits seem to duplicate (between Huygens release and Titan’s encounter) one another on the ESA’s simulations.

The way I understand it, from NASA and ESA websites, is that Huygens, although being jettisoned from Cassini, will fly, more or less, in tandem, following Cassini’s orbit, at a more or less consistent distance from his parent probe, on a collision course with Titan.

Then, at the last moment, Cassini (which is not inert, unlike Huygens) will veer away from Titan, while Huygens will plunge into the moon’s atmosphere.

[Christian Huygens]

I seek a web page that would show the two separate paths of Huygens and Cassini about Saturn. I am having difficulty understanding where the two spacecraft are and why the probe is three weeks away plunging into Titan.

Simple. One orbit around Saturn takes at least a few weeks for Cassini (for now: it will vary in length and shape over the next 4 years of mission).

Right now, Cassini’s type of orbit is a collision crash course with Titan. ESA Huygens Probe, being inert, has been jettisoned from Cassini a few days ago. It precedes almost exactly the same path of orbit as Cassini (as been verified in the last hours).

As time goes by, Huygens’ will get “ahead” of Cassini on it’s path to Titan: few seconds, few minutes, eventually a few hours ahead of it’s mother ship.

As soon as Huygens will encounter Titan’s atmosphere outer layers, diving in parachute sequence and eventually touch (or splash) down, it will constantly relay data to Cassini - that will get closer and closer to Titan’s neighbourhood. Then, Cassini will veer away from it’s crash course orbit with Saturn’s satellite, relaying to earth all the data transmitted by Huygens (during its few hours of useful life on Titan).

And continue it’s observation of Saturn’s system for a few years, if all goes according to plan.