CASSINI AND HUYGENS, THE PIGGYBACK PROBE
For seven years and two billion miles, the Cassini space-craft carried the Huygens lander up to Saturn. Last December, six months after Cassini began its four-year study of Saturn, it released Huygens—a probe the size of a Volkswagen Beetle—on a trajectory toward Saturn´s largest moon, Titan. When Huygens entered Titan´s atmosphere 21 days later, it relayed pictures and data back to Earth through Cassini.
Better Than Evian |
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| In this UV image of the rings, blue regions are water ice; red, empty space. Scientists can´t explain how the ice stays 99 percent pure though bombarded by meteorites. | Scientists think that this storm, which flares up and recedes every few months, creates electrical eruptions that may cause powerful radio bursts. |
Five amazing, clean technologies that will set us free, in this month's energy-focused issue. Also: how to build a better bomb detector, the robotic toys that are raising your children, a human catapult, the world's smallest arcade, and much more.


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