Huygens probe entry and descent trajectory analysis and reconstruction techniques
Atkinson, DH H ; Kazeminejad, B ; Gaborit, V ; et al. ; - ASI Sponsor
Jan - 2005
DOI: 10.1016/j.pss.2004.11.005
ISSN : 0032-0633 ;
journal : Planetary and Space Science

Volume : 53 ; Issue : 5
type: Article Journal

Abstract
Cassini/Huygens is a joint National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/European Space Agency (ESA)/Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (ASI) mission on its way to explore the Saturnian system. The ESA Huygens Probe is scheduled to be released from the Orbiter on 25 December 2004 and enter the atmosphere of Titan on 14 January 2005. Probe delivery to Titan, arbitrarily defined to occur at a reference altitude of 1270km above the surface of Titan, is the responsibility of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). ESA is then responsible for safely delivering the probe from the reference altitude to the surface. The task of reconstructing the probe trajectory and attitude from the entry point to the surface has been assigned to the Huygens Descent Trajectory Working Group (DTWG), a subgroup of the Huygens Science Working Team. The DTWG will use data provided by the Huygens Probe engineering subsystems and selected data sets acquired by the scientific payload. To correctly interpret and correlate results from the probe science experiments and to provide a reference set of data for possible

keywords : Huygens Probe; Entry and descent trajectory