What is the Huygens Probe?
The Huygens probe is a component of the Cassini-Huygens unmanned mission to Saturn. Named after the Dutch astronomer, mathematician, and physicist Christiaan Huygens, the Huygens probe’s main claim to fame is that it is the first man-made object to land on the surface of a celestial body in the outer solar system. On 14 January 2005, Huygens descended into the atmosphere of Titan, a moon of Saturn, and took various readings. It gave humanity its first look at the surface of Titan, long obscured by a thick methane atmosphere. The Cassini-Huygens program is an joint effort between NASA and the European and Italian Space Agencies. The total cost of the program is about $3.26 billion USD, with money continuing to be spent as scientists analyze the data relayed from the Cassini orbiter, which continues to circle Saturn. The Huygens probe is about 1.3 meters (4.2 ft) across, packed with various scientific instrumentation including cameras, a wind sensor, radiometer, spectrometer, and more. A
