Saturn's Moon Titan Has A Soft, Crusty Surface, Like Freshly Frozen Snow

Monday, October 15, 2012 - 11:30 in Astronomy & Space

Huygens Landing NASA/JPL/ESA A small lander eight years ago bounced around a bit but didn't splat. Walking on the surface of Titan would be like walking on a beach while the tide is going out, according to a new study. Or, if snow is your preferred outdoor surface, it's like breaking a snowshoe trail on a sunny day. The huge Saturnian moon's surface has the consistency of damp sand or crusty snow--you can walk gently on top, but push hard with your foot and you'll break through, sinking down at least a few inches. This comes from a new analysis of what happened to the Huygens lander, an oft-forgotten component of the Cassini-Huygens mission to the Saturn system. Huygens was a 400-pound lander that apparently "bounced, slid and wobbled" until coming to rest on the surface of Titan. Previous analysis of its fate suggested that Titan had a soft surface, but...

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