Computer Science – Performance
Scientific paper
Jul 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006acaau..59..319s&link_type=abstract
Acta Astronautica, Volume 59, Issue 1-5, p. 319-334.
Computer Science
Performance
Scientific paper
The European Space Agency's Huygens probe, developed under the prime contractorship of Alcatel Alenia Space, has on the 14th January 2005 arrived at its final destination, Saturn's largest Moon Titan. This event provides a major step in our solar system exploration activities and represents a significant contribution to the exploration of Titan, an Earth-like body in many respects. The road to its destination has been long and eventful, though after launch in 1997 comfortably attached to the mighty Cassini spacecraft. Up to the very last minute before the Cassini Huygens separation event, intensive efforts in agencies and industry have continued to ensure the overall Huygens probe performance with renewed knowledge of among others, the Titan atmospheric conditions. In parallel, dedicated in-flight test campaigns, supported by complementary ground-tests, and extensive system health assessments have been executed very frequently, providing the knowledge of perfect functionality and health of all probe sub-systems and science instruments upon the moment of separation from Cassini, end of 2004. This paper describes the Huygens programme schedule, with emphasis on that of the last few years before the arrival, together with the challenges of getting ready for mission success. Programme lessons learnt are discussed, stemming from Huygens mission inherent features such as the long dormant duration due to the 7-year cruise phase, evolution of knowledge of the mission's environment and a late anomaly discovery.
Lebreton Jean-Pierre
Schipper Anne Marie
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