These two images of Saturn's largest moon Titan were taken by Cassini on October 26, 2004.
Click on image for full size
Images courtesy NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute.
Cassini Titan Flyby in October 2004
News story originally written on October 28, 2004
The Cassini spaceship flew by Saturn's
moon Titan on
October 26, 2004. Titan is Saturn's largest moon, and has the thickest atmosphere
of any moon in our Solar System.
Cassini took some great pictures of Titan during this flyby. Ten different
instruments on Cassini made measurements of Titan. Cassini passed
within 1,174 kilometers (730 miles) of the moon during this close encounter.
Cassini,
which
is in orbit around Saturn, will
fly past Titan 44 more times in the next four years!
Cassini will drop off a lander named Huygens. Huygens will touch down on Titan
in January 2005. Some of the measurements of Titan's
atmosphere that Cassini made on this flyby will help Huygens. The more
scientists know about Titan's atmosphere, the safer they can make Huygens'
entry into and flight through that atmosphere.
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