THE HUYGENS PROBE - SCIENCE, PAYLOAD AND MISSION OVERVIEW

The Huygens Probe is ESA's element of the joint Cassini/Huygens missio n with NASA to the Saturnian system. Huygens will be carried on NASA's Cassini Orbiter to Saturn, where it will be released to enter the atm osphere of Titan, the planet's largest satellite. The Probe's primary scientific phase occurs during the 2-2.5 h parachute descent, when the six onboard instruments execute a complex series of measurements to s tudy the atmosphere's chemical and physical properties. Measurements w ill also be conducted during the 3 min entry phase, and possibly on Ti tan's surface if Huygens survives impact. This article provides an ove rview of the mission and a concise description of the payload.