Observation of Titan’s Surface by Huygen’s Touchdown Data Analysis
Although Huygens probe’s landing took place way back in 2005 and was active to send data for just 90 minutes in the post touchdown period. The scientists are digging out the information in respect of Titan from the mission by skimming out all possibly they can do from the data transmitted. The most recent information interpreted is from the manner the probe’s landing took place.
According to the international scientists group interpretation the probe suffered bouncing on touchdown at the Saturn’s moon, the after effect, made it to slid and wobble. This gives an insight in respect of nature of Titan’s surface.
“A spike in the acceleration data suggests that during the first wobble, the probe likely encountered a pebble protruding by around 2 cm from the surface of Titan, and may have even pushed it into the ground, suggesting that the surface had a consistency of soft, damp sand,” describes Dr. Stefan Schröder of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, lead author of a paper quite recently got published in Planetary Science.
The observation of Schröder and his team attempted to do reconstruction of the landing event by data analysis transmitted by probe’s different instrumentations deployed on it during the mission which were active recording the impact activities, and more particularly they focused on the changes in the respect of acceleration the probe had experienced.
The data obtained from the instruments were compared in respect of the results of simulations produced by the computer and by conducting the drop test deploying the model of Huygens designed for replicating the landing event.
The scientists are of the view that Huygens landing took place at something having similarity to a flood affected plain on Earth, but it had been dry at the time. The analysis is further revealing that, its first contact on the Titan’s surface, Huygens had gone for digging a hole about 12 cm deep, prior to its bouncing taking place landing on flat surface.
The probe got tilted by nearly 10 degrees in its direction of motion, then it slid nearly 30–40 cm over the surface. The slowing down followed as an effect of friction experienced on the surface till it reached its resting place finally. It had a wobbling experience going forward and returning back consecutively for five times. There after motion subsided for nearly 10 seconds after event of touchdown.
As per the previous studies carried out from the data the conclusion was that Titan’s surface is quite soft. The new study is going little deeper indicating that in case there was small pressure exerted on its surface, the surface was hard, but as the pressure increased it experienced appreciable sinking on the spot.
“It is like snow that has been frozen on top,” said Erich Karkoschka, a co-author at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “If you walk carefully, you can walk as on a solid surface, but if you step on the snow a little too hard, you break in very deeply.”
It is worth considering if the probe’s impact was on moist mud like materials. Its instruments should have recorded the Splat without the bounce and sliding effect.
On the contrary the surface had been sufficiently soft as a result of which a depression was created by the probe’s touchdown, at the time it had characteristics of sufficient hardness enabling Hubgen’s rocking back and forth repeatedly.
The raw image was transmitted by the Descent Imager/Spectral Radiometer supported camera located onboard at European Space Agency’s Huygen’s probe after the probe had undergone descent passing through the titan’s atmosphere revealing the Titan’s surface having ice blocks scattered on its surface.
“We also see in the Huygens landing data evidence of a ‘fluffy’ dust-like material – most likely organic aerosols that are known to drizzle out of the Titan atmosphere – being thrown up into the atmosphere and suspended there for around four seconds after the impact,” said Schröder.
Because for the dust it was easy to get lifted giving the indication of dryness and there was no rain of liquid ethane and methane for considerably longer time before the landing event.
2012-10-19 20:23:14
Source: http://www.maxupdates.tv/observation-of-titans-surface-by-huygens-touchdown-data-analysis/
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