The European Space Agency (ESA) is Europe’s gateway to space. Its mission is to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world.
Find out more about space activities in our 23 Member States, and understand how ESA works together with their national agencies, institutions and organisations.
Exploring our Solar System and unlocking the secrets of the Universe
Go to topicProtecting life and infrastructure on Earth and in orbit
Go to topicUsing space to benefit citizens and meet future challenges on Earth
Go to topicMaking space accessible and developing the technologies for the future
Go to topic
One week after the arrival of the Huygens probe at Titan, this Exchange provides a highlight edit of events 14-15 January 2005.
The images are at the same time pre-event coverage for the media briefing on 21 January at 11:00 hours, revealing more of Titan's secrets.
The script will be on-line as a PDF document under http://television.esa.int/photos/EbS37782.pdf
Huygens arrival highlights.doc Page 1 of 3 20/01/2005 22:16
HUYGENS : Suspense, success and recompense
10:00:40
After a seven-year journey on NASA's Cassini Saturn-orbiter, Europe's probe to
Titan has fulfilled the engineers' and scientists' greatest expectations.
Arriving safely on the most distant object ever visited by mankind,
the Huygens mission has fully opened a window on another world.
14 January 2005... at the European Space Agency's Mission Control Centre in
Darmstadt, Germany. The world's press & media have assembled to follow the
probe's descent with baited breath.
10:01:17 - Clip Claudio Sollazzo
10:01:23
It will be a long day of intense suspense. Everyone knows that despite infinite
precautions, success is not guaranteed, starting with the probe's fiery entry into
Titan's atmosphere.
10:01:33 - Clip Gerard Huttin
10:01:54
It is 10:13 GMT... Within three minutes, it is dramatically slowed to 1400 km an
hour for the first pilot parachute to be deployed, then quickly opening the m