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Projects: Space InformationThe Planetary ReportVolume XXV, Number 1, January/February 2005 |
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 Credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute |
On the Cover
In a portrait created by light and gravity, lonely Mimas is visible against the cool, blue-streaked backdrop of Saturn’s northern hemisphere. Delicate shadows cast by the rings arc gracefully across the planet, fading into darkness on Saturn’s night side. Images taken with red, green, and blue filters were combined to create this color view. The images were taken with Cassini’s Narrow-Angle Camera on November 7, 2004 from a distance of 3.7 million kilometers (2.3 million miles) from Saturn. The image scale is 22 kilometers (14 miles) per pixel.
From The Editor
Carl Sagan, cofounder of The Planetary Society, dated our existence as an organization from the publication of the first Planetary Report in December 1980. If you do the math, you’ll see that this year marks the silver anniversary of The Planetary Society.
And so . . . it’s time to party!
Right now, we are scheduling an array of 25th anniversary events that will take place around the world and will range in size from gatherings in coffeehouses to a gala dinner and beyond. Our goal is to involve every Society member in the celebrations. After all, The Planetary Society is nothing but its members—combined into a strong force to achieve our ultimate goals of exploring other worlds and seeking other life.
We do have a lot to celebrate. From the searching for putative Vulcanoids inside Mercury’s orbit to saving a spacecraft bound for Pluto, The Planetary Society has come through time and time again. We’ve focused our efforts on projects that can make almost unimaginable differences to life on Earth, from seeking possibly life-destroying asteroids to searching for civilizations among the stars. What other group can you think of that has set such lofty goals and achieved so much in pursuing them?
We celebrate each other, joined together, as The Planetary Society. Let's start the party now.
— Charlene M. Anderson
Features
Exploring the Unknown: Huygens’ Plunge Through Titan’s
Atmosphere
On December 25, 2004, the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe successfully
detached from the Cassini spacecraft and headed off to fulfill its destiny—a
3-week coast to Saturn’s fascinating moon Titan, ending in a 2.5-hour
dive through the moon’s thick, hazy atmosphere and a rough landing on
the never-before-seen surface. Titan, still enshrouded in mystery even after
two close Cassini flybys, intrigues scientists because of its similarity to
early Earth. Here, Huygens Mission Manager and Project Scientist Jean-Pierre
Lebreton describes what we know so far about the unusual moon and details
the probe’s harrowing mission of exploration.
A Suborbital Search for Vulcanoids
Scientists are often detectives trying to solve a mystery. In the case
of Vulcanoids, an intriguing idea about a theoretical population of small
asteroids orbiting near the Sun awakened the detective skills of planetary
scientist Dan Durda. Dan and his colleagues developed a plan to prove or
disprove the existence of the elusive asteroids by using a special camera
aboard a sounding rocket. Planetary Society members joined the investigative
team by funding the innovative test. Here, Dan provides a personal account
of what happened during the suborbital search and explains why Vulcanoids
remain a mystery.
Departments
Members’ Dialogue
We Make It Happen!
World Watch
Questions and Answers
Society News
The Planetary Report is available only to Members of The Planetary Society. If you'd like to read these and other exciting features, JOIN THE PLANETARY SOCIETY TODAY!
MEMBERS: Download this and other back issues of The Planetary Report in PDF format from the For Members section of the website.
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