UK scientists and industrialists involved in the NASA, ESA, ASI
Cassini-Huygens space mission are eagerly awaiting the data to be
received when the spacecraft makes its closest fly-by of Saturn’s
largest moon, Titan, on 26th October.

At the time of the closest approach, which is scheduled to be at 5.44
pm BST (9.44 am PDT), the spacecraft will travel a mere 1200km (745
miles) above the surface of the moon at a speed of 6.1 km per second.
Confirmation that the flyby has been successful and that all the data
have been received will not take place until 2.30 a.m BST, 27th Oct
(6.30 pm PDT 26th Oct).

This close flyby will be looking at all aspects of Titan, which
although it is the second largest moon in the solar system, after
Jupiter’s Ganymede, we know relatively little about.

The instruments on board Cassini will be looking at the moon’s interior
structure, surface characteristics, atmospheric properties and
interactions with Saturn’s magnetosphere.

Furthermore the studies will provide important information for ESA’s
Huygens team, who will be using the data gathered to verify the
atmospheric models developed for the separation and descent and landing
of the Huygens probe on 25th December and 14th January respectively.

Further data from the imaging and radar instrumentation onboard Cassini
should provide an indication of whether the likely landing surface for
the Huygens probe will be solid or liquid material.

The first images are expected at 2.30 am BST on 28th (6.30 pm PDT on
27th) and will be posted on http://www.saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

Professor John Zarnecki from the Open University who is lead scientist
for the Science Surface Package on the Huygens Probe, is eagerly
awaiting the results.

“This first close-up look at Titan should enable us to find out just
how precisely our atmospheric models fit with the real situation and of
course we are excited about the prospect of discovering just what type
of surface the Huygens probe will land on early next year. In other words
we want to know if our instruments will land with a splash or a thud!”

Professor Michele Dougherty, from Imperial College, lead scientist for
the Magnetometer instrument on Cassini added, “Titan’s atmosphere is
similar to the very early atmosphere of the Earth and by studying its
properties we can start to unravel some of the mysteries of the planet.
The Cassini Magnetometer experiment will investigate Titan’s interior and
variations in the magnetic field measurements could indicate the presence
of an ocean contaminated by salty materials like in the Earth’s oceans and
in the hypothesised oceans of Callisto and Europa in the Jovian System.”

UK scientists are playing significant roles in the Cassini Huygens mission
with involvement in 6 of the 12 instruments onboard the Cassini orbiter
and 2 of the 6 instruments on the Huygens probe. The UK has the lead role
in the magnetometer instrument on Cassini (Imperial College) and the
Surface Science Package on Huygens (Open University).

UK industry had developed many of the key systems for the Huygens probe,
including the flight software (LogicaCMG) and parachutes (Martin Baker).
These mission critical systems need to perform reliably in some of the
most challenging and remote environments ever attempted by a man made
object. For examples, the Huygens probe will hit the atmosphere of Titan
at 6 km/sec. LogicaCMG’s software onboard the probe will be responsible
for deploying the parachutes, separating the front and back shield with
precise timings to achieve the required descent profile; reducing the
velocity of Huygens before commencing the science experiments, and
managing communications back to Cassini.

Media Events

NASA will be hosting a series of media events to cover the flyby.
Further details can be found at:-
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/oct/HQ_n04165_titan_coverage.html

For details the log in/dial in information for the briefings please
contact the JPL press office on 001 818 354 5011 or

Gill Ormrod in the PPARC Press Office Tel: 01793 442012. Mobile: 0781
8013509.

October 25th media workshop

A listen and log-on workshop. The website to support this event
www.jpl.nasa.gov/media/cassini-102504 This site will not go live
until 5.00 pm BST (9.00 am PDT). In order to get log in/dial in details
contact either the JPL or PPARC Press Office (details above).

October 26th – Titan flyby. Closest approach is at 5.44 pm BST (9.44 am
PDT). The first downlink occurs at approximately 2.30 a.m. BST, 27th Oct
(6.30 pm PDT 26th Oct). NASA TV coverage will run from 2.30 am – 8.00 am
BST (6.30 pm to midnight PDT).

October 27th news briefing on the first images – 5 pm BST (9.00 am
PDT). Images to be posted on
http://www.saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm

October 28th news briefing on additional science results – 5pm BST
(9.00 am PDT) Call in number is 00 1 818 354 6170.

October 29th news briefing – summary of results – 5pm BST (9.00 am PDT)
Listen and log-on event. The website to support this
event
www.jpl.nasa.gov/media/cassini-102904
This site will not go live until 5.00 pm BST (9.00 am PDT). In order to
get log in details contact either the JPL or PPARC Press Office (details
above).

NASA TV coverage

NASA TV will provide extensive mission coverage of the flyby and
related press conferences with the exception of the listen and log in
press briefings, which are not televised. A full schedule of live news
briefings is available on the NASA TV site at
http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/MM_NTV_Breaking.html

The flyby

Titan has a diameter of 5150 km (3200 miles) so the spacecraft passes
within 1.5 Titan radii.

Titan Background

Titan is a highly complex world and is closer to a terrestrial planet
than a moon typical of the outer planetary systems.

Titan was first seen by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens (after which
the ESA probe is named) in 1655.

Not only is Titan the largest of Saturn’s satellites, it is also larger
than the planets Mercury and Pluto, and is the second largest satellite in
the solar system (Jupiter’s Ganymede being larger). It is the only
satellite in the solar system with appreciable atmosphere, composed mostly
of Nitrogen, but also contains aerosols and hydrocarbons, including
methane and ethane. Titan’s atmosphere was first confirmed in 1944 when
Gerard Kuiper confirmed the presence of gaseous methane with spectroscopy.

Titan’s peak surface temperature is about 95 K (-178 degrees C) and
surface pressure is 1.6 Earth atmospheres. At this temperature and
pressure, many simple chemicals that are present in abundance (methane,
ethane, water, ammonia) provide materials in solid, liquid and gaseous
form which may interact to create exotic features on the surface.
Precipitation, flowing liquids, lakes and eruptions are all possible.

Titan orbits Saturn at a distance of just over 20 Saturn radii
(1,222,000 km/759,000 miles) which is far enough to carry the moon in
and out of Saturn’s magnetosphere. Very little is known about Titan’s
interior structure, including whether it has its own magnetic field.

Titan’s surface has been difficult to study, as it is veiled by a
dense hydrocarbon haze that forms in the dense stratosphere as methane
is destroyed by sunlight. From the data collected so far, dark features
can be seen crossing the equatorial region of Titan, with a large bright
region near longitude 90 degrees now named Xanadu, and possibly a large
crater in the northern hemisphere.

Press Contacts

Peter Barratt – PPARC Press Office
Tel: 01793 442025. Email: peter.barratt@pparc.ac.uk
Mobile: 0787 9602899

Gill Ormrod – PPARC Press Office
Tel: 01793 442012. Email: gill.ormrod@pparc.ac.uk
Mobile: 0781 801 3509

Carolina Martinez – JPL Press Office
Media Relations Office +1 818-354-9382 or Email
carolina.martinez@jpl.nasa.gov

Franco Bonacina – ESA Press Office
Tel: +33 1 5369 7155. Email: Franco.Bonacina@esa.int

Eulina Clairmont – Open University Press Office
Tel: 01908 653248. Email: e.clairmont@open.ac.uk

Judith Moore – University College London Press Office
Tel: 020 7679 7678
Email: judith.moore@ucl.ac.uk

Science Contacts

Professor Michele Dougherty, Imperial College – PI on the Magnetometer
instrument (Cassini)
Contact through Abigail Smith, Imperial Press Office.
Tel: 020 7594 6701 or 07761 799089.
Email abigail.smith@imperial.ac.uk. Email:
m.dougherty@imperial.ac.uk

Professor Carl Murray, Queen Mary, University of London – Co-I on the
Imaging Science Subsystem (Cassini)
Office: 0207 8825456
Email: c.d.murray@qmul.ac.uk

Professor John Zarnecki, Open University – PI on the Science Surface
Package (Huygens) and Co-I on the Huygens Atmospheric Instrument
Office : 01908 659599 Mobile: 07769 943883.
Email: J.C.Zarnecki@open.ac.uk

Cassini Electron Spectrometer (CAPS-ELS)
Dr Andrew Coates, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, UCL
Tel: 01483 204145. Email: ajc@mssl.ucl.ac.uk
Mobile: 07788 448318

Professor Manuel Grande – Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Tel: 01235 446501. Mail: M.Grande@rl.ac.uk

Magnetometer (MAG)
Dr Nick Achilleos, Imperial College (Cassini science, instruments and
operations)
Tel: 020 75947759. Email: n.achilleos@ic.ac.uk

Dr Ingo Mueller-Wodarg, Imperial College (Titan science, Cassini
science, INMS team)
Tel: 020 75947674. Mobile: 07973 271816. Email:
i.mueller-wodarg@imperial.ac.uk

Professor Stan Cowley, Leicester University
Tel: 0116 2231331. Email: swhc1@ion.le.ac.uk

Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS)
Dr Patrick Irwin, University of Oxford
Tel: 01865 272083. Email: Irwin@atm.ox.ac.uk

Professor Peter Ade, University of Cardiff
Tel: 029 20874643. Email: Peter.Ade@astro.cf.ac.uk

Radio and Plasma Waves Instrument (RPWS)
Dr Hugo Alleyne, University of Sheffield
Co-Investigator on Tel: 0114 222 5630.
Email: h.alleyne@sheffield.ac.uk

Cosmic Dust Analyser
Professor Tony McDonnell – Open University
Tel: 01908 659602. Email: j.a.m.mcdonnell@open.ac.uk

Huygens – Science Surface Package and Huygens Atmospheric Instrument
Mr Mark Leese – Open University
Tel: 01908 652561. Email: m.r.leese@open.ac.uk

Dr Simon Green – Open University
Tel: 01908 659601. Email: s.f.green@open.ac.uk

Dr Andrew Ball – Open University
Tel: 01908 659596. Email: a.j.ball@open.ac.uk

Dr Martin Towner – Open University
Tel: 01908 659594. Email: m.c.towne
r@open.ac.uk

Peter Challenor, Southampton Oceanography Centre
Tel: 023 80596413. Email: P.Challenor@soc.soton.ac.uk

UK industrial involvement

UK industry is also playing a significant role in the mission, rising
to the challenge of designing equipment that may have to work
autonomously in a hostile environment at the very low temperatures of
around minus 200 degrees Celsius.

LogicaCMG – Contact: Nick Shave, Space & Satcoms Operations Manager,
LogicaCMG. Email: Nick.Shave@logicacmg.com.

LogicaCMG PR – Alex Rowley.
Tel: 0207 4197331. Email: Alex@bbpr.com

Martin Baker Space Systems – Contact: Steve Lingard.
Tel: 01865 893210. Email: steve.lingard@vorticity-systems.com

Irvin-GQ – Contact: Geoff Linaker. Tel: 01656 727000. Email:
geoff.linaker@irvingq.co.uk

IGG Component Technology – Contact: Graham Peters.
Tel: 01329 829311. Email: graham.peters@igg.co.uk

Ultra Electronics – Contact: Paul Austin. Tel: 01543 878888. Email:
paustin@ultra-pmes.com or Mike Hellard. Tel: 01543 878888. Email:
mhellard@ultra-pmes.com

Web Sites:-
NASA – http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/home/index.cfm
http://nasa.gov/cassini

ESA –
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/index.html

UK Goes to the Planets –
http://www.uk2planets.org.uk/

The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European
Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of
Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA’s
Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its
two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL.

The Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) is the UK’s
strategic science investment agency. It funds research, education and
public understanding in four broad areas of science – particle physics,
astronomy, cosmology and space science.

PPARC is government funded and provides research grants and
studentships to scientists in British universities, gives researchers
access to world-class facilities and funds the UK membership of
international bodies such as the European Organisation for Nuclear
Research, CERN, the European Space Agency and the European Southern
Observatory. It also contributes money for the UK telescopes overseas on
La Palma, Hawaii, Australia and in Chile, the UK Astronomy Technology
Centre at the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh and the MERLIN/VLBI National
Facility.