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2005-01-14 Home Front: Tech
Astronomers' eyes turn to Titan
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Posted by God Save The World 2005-01-14 9:22:17 PM|| || Front Page|| [7 views since 2007-05-07]  Top

#1 Goldstone has confirmed a carrier signal, indicating the probe is alive, having survived inital re-entry and main chute deployment.
Posted by Weird Al 2005-01-14 7:33:50 AM||   2005-01-14 7:33:50 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Sorry. Greenbank, not Goldstone. One of those days.
Posted by Weird Al 2005-01-14 8:05:57 AM||   2005-01-14 8:05:57 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 Data acquisition has begun. Probe is on the surface.
Posted by Weird Al 2005-01-14 8:31:31 AM||   2005-01-14 8:31:31 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 understandable juxt - you find green in banks and gold in stone :-)
Posted by 2b 2005-01-14 8:44:24 AM||   2005-01-14 8:44:24 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 It's still sending data from the surface? I guess it didn't land in a methane ocean then...
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2005-01-14 9:30:08 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2005-01-14 9:30:08 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 From checking the site apparently the probe is designed to survive at least three minutes after landing, even if in an ocean. Cool.

Though, there's evil in me and I won't can't resist...

It looks as though ESA spacecraft, just like international aid, only arrives safely when delivered by Americans. Beagle? Where are you????
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2005-01-14 9:37:53 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2005-01-14 9:37:53 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 Still transmitting after 3 hours (Space.com running commentary).

This is probably the strangest, least understood, and most exotic place ever reached directly by human instruments, a plunge into the complete unknown.
It gives me goosebumps to think of our machine now lying on that weird landscape.
My expectation is a semi-rocky but relatively smooth surface with methane replacing water as an agent of erosion and in materials analogous to clay and mud. I could be completely wrong though. We will know very soon.
Posted by Atomic Conspiracy 2005-01-14 10:39:09 AM||   2005-01-14 10:39:09 AM|| Front Page Top

#8 Grrr, Space.com is blocked where I work (classified as an Education/Reference site... which for some reason means unacceptable around here. wtf?). But very cool it is still going after this long.

I know it ain't gonna happen, but until the first pictures come in I'm going to hold out hope that they show weird methane loving plants and some kind of critter staring at the camera. :)
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2005-01-14 10:50:00 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2005-01-14 10:50:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#9 LotR - Can you get into NASA?
Posted by .com 2005-01-14 10:55:00 AM||   2005-01-14 10:55:00 AM|| Front Page Top

#10 Hope to see LOM's (little orange men rather than LGM's) waving at the probe.
Posted by Weird Al 2005-01-14 11:07:21 AM||   2005-01-14 11:07:21 AM|| Front Page Top

#11 I've had the Player running for 7-8 minutes now, still getting nothing from Space.com. Oddly, NASA TV doesn't seem to be offering this - is this some sort of "exclusive"? Too bad, if so, their server's not up to the task.
Posted by .com 2005-01-14 11:10:40 AM||   2005-01-14 11:10:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#12 .com - Yes, your link there worked for me. Thanks for posting it. :)

I've had terrible luck at getting videos from space.com to work even from home. But it was always during events like this where it may have been swamped.

The only live broadcast i got in on what one from JPL during the landing of the second rover.

The Nasa site is saying that the ESA should be getting the first data in around 11:30 am EST. I'm sure pictures will be delayed some, though.

Argh, too bad there's not a lander with some people in orbit waiting to go down next. :)
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2005-01-14 11:15:27 AM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2005-01-14 11:15:27 AM|| Front Page Top

#13 Yeah - I'm giving up on Space.com, too - will get whatever NASA offers, instead. Cool runnings, LotR!
Posted by .com 2005-01-14 11:23:55 AM||   2005-01-14 11:23:55 AM|| Front Page Top

#14 Four minutes old from Space.com:
11:35 a.m. EST: It's confirmed! Huygens has successfully returned science data from Titan's surface. The probe's landing is the farthest touchdown for any human-built object to set land on another world.

A news briefing on Huygens' apparent success is underway and its thumbs-up all around for mission scientists and managers.


Posted by Atomic Conspiracy 2005-01-14 11:41:28 AM||   2005-01-14 11:41:28 AM|| Front Page Top

#15 exciting stuff :)
Although I dont think I'll be investing in any real estate out there just yet , prefer British weather hehe :p
Posted by MacNails  2005-01-14 12:39:33 PM||   2005-01-14 12:39:33 PM|| Front Page Top

#16 Hey, my Saturn had to go into the shop today with a dead battery. Coincidence?
Posted by Seafarious  2005-01-14 1:12:25 PM||   2005-01-14 1:12:25 PM|| Front Page Top

#17 Several pictures are up in the last few minutes....

Note the ESA headline:
"Europe reaches new frontier – Huygens lands on Titan"

How much did "Europe" actually do? I know that at least 2 of the scientific instruments on the probe itself were made in the US. The actual Cassini probe on which they caught a lift was from the US, the launch vehicle was made in the US. The tracking stations and knowhow mostly provided by the US. But it is Europe that reached the new frontier.

Moreover, look at how they are distributing data.... When NASA downloads something like this, the photos are up as soon as they come in for all to see. ESA though likes to hang on to the data for themselves. Why? Who can say.
Posted by Mark E. 2005-01-14 4:00:46 PM||   2005-01-14 4:00:46 PM|| Front Page Top

#18 Mark E. - Americans deliver, Europe/UN take credit. What's new?

CNN has a picture up on their front page. Sadly, it looks like Mars. Rocks and dirt. Ah well, there's always Europa. :)
Posted by Laurence of the Rats  2005-01-14 4:46:37 PM|| [http://www.punictreachery.com/]  2005-01-14 4:46:37 PM|| Front Page Top

#19 I though Dave (channeling Arthur C) said we couldn't have Europa. Off limits, IIRC. That was just before Jupiter became a small star...
Posted by .com 2005-01-14 5:45:30 PM||   2005-01-14 5:45:30 PM|| Front Page Top

#20 Wot! No Sirens? Ah well...
Posted by eLarson 2005-01-14 6:18:06 PM|| [http://larsonian.blogspot.com]  2005-01-14 6:18:06 PM|| Front Page Top

23:58 Barbara Skolaut
23:56 Frank G
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23:51 Atomic Conspiracy
23:51 Barry Bonds
23:47 Dishman
23:39 Aris Katsaris
23:36 Angash Elminelet3775
23:35 Alaska Paul
23:33 Aris Katsaris
23:33 lex
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23:11 Karl Rove
23:09 Dishman
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22:50 Captain America
22:48 lex
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