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Huygens, Titan

The only images we have of Titan’s surface come from the short-lived Huygens probe. Could life be somewhere beyond this horizon?
The only images we have of Titan’s surface come from the short-lived Huygens probe. Could life be somewhere beyond this horizon? Image: ESA/NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Having piggybacked to Saturn aboard Cassini, the Huygens probe was charged with descending through the atmosphere of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, which some astrobiologists believe could host microbial life. During its parachute-slowed descent on January 14, 2005, Huygens collected information on Titan’s atmosphere, wind, electromagnetic activity, and chemistry. Once the probe landed—scientists weren’t sure if the surface would be liquid or solid; it turned out to be the latter—it began snapping images of its alien surroundings. Titan remains the most distant surface humans have landed a spacecraft on. Huygens transmitted data from this spot for just over an hour before going silent.

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