Titan Flyby - 10 March 2007

07 Mar 2007

Credit: NASA

The latitude at closest approach is 32.0° N and the encounter occurs on orbit number 40. This encounter is set up with two manoeuvres: an apoapsis manoeuvre on 2 March, and an approach manoeuvre, scheduled for 6 March. This is the second in a series of outbound Titan encounters (the series lasts until T34), and occurs about 3 days after Saturn closest approach.

Science Activities

• Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS)
  The Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer will be pointed in the spacecraft motion direction at closest approach to allow its detectors to scoop up material from the top of Titan's atmosphere and determine constituents. This flyby is of the Northern equatorial part of Titan and is at dusk and flank-in. This is the first opportunity for a high quality ion observation that is flank-in

• Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrograph (UVIS) and the Visual and Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (VIMS)
  Second of three Titan solar occultations in the prime mission. VIMS and UVIS will be observing the Sun as it passes through Titan's atmosphere at latitude 76° S

• Imaging Science Subsystem (ISS)
  High-resolution coverage north of Belet and global mapping of the territory north of Belet and Adiri. This is only the second time that ISS has had an opportunity to observe new territory north of Belet and the first time at high resolution

• Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS)
  Far-IR surface temperature maps. These scans (N-S or E-W) are designed to measure surface temperature variations through a spectral window after accounting for a haze component. Outbound, CIRS is doing a limb temperature scan, a limb aerosol scan, and a limb composition integration

Table of Events

03/07/07

8 March 2007

9 March 2007

10 March 2007

Source: ESA