The Huygens Synthetic Dataset
Publication date: 02 May 2006
Authors: Perez-Ayucar, M., et al.
Journal: Proceedings of the 3rd International Planetary Probe Workshop
Volume: ESA WPP-263
Year: 2006
Copyright: ESA
The Huygens probe entered into the dense atmosphere of Titan on 14th January 2005 and landed on the surface after a nominal descent of about 2.5 hours [1]. Huygens is the ESA-provided element of the joint NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini/Huygens mission. The probe was delivered to the interface altitude of 1270 km above the surface by NASA/JPL. The propagation and reconstruction of the trajectory from that point onwards is ESA?s responsibility. An important effort was devoted to the development of an algorithm that aimed at reconstructing the descent trajectory and attitude of Huygens from the scientific instruments and probe sensors measurements ([2], this issue). In order to test this algorithm, the Huygens Synthetic Data Set (HSDS), a simulated mission dataset, was prepared. In this paper we describe the philosophy of the approach for preparing the HSDS, the assumptions made and the limitations of the method. The different tools used for producing the simulated data set are described, mainly a 3 Degree-of-Freedom (DoF) entry and descent trajectory calculation, and 6 DoF entry trajectory and attitude simulator. We report how the scientific and engineering models were used to obtain the most realistic Huygens sensor data, and the latest updates leading to the final v3.1 on the 10th of January, just 4 days prior to the Huygens descent. The different parameters are described, with a special attention to the way the accelerations were generated.
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