Huygens Probe Mission Flight Operations
Publication date: 01 November 1997
Authors: Sollazzo, C., Dodsworth, S.J. & Wills, R.D.
Journal: ESA Bulletin
Volume: 92
Year: 1997
Copyright: ESA
Huygens is being carried as a passenger on NASA's Cassini Orbiter to Saturn, where it will be released to enter the atmosphere of Titan, the planet's largest moon. During the controlled descent phase, its instruments will execute a complex sequence of measurements to study the atmosphere's chemical and physical properties and, if it survives impact, Huygens will collect data on Titan's surface properties. Flight operations will be conducted from the Huygens Probe Operations Centre (HPOC) at ESOC. This article describes the ground-system infrastructure, procedures and constraints involved in operating Huygens over its 6.7-year mission lifetime.
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