Saturn mission 'probably a success'

Posted on: Jan. 14th, 2005 || Source: news.bbc.co.uk | E-mail Article | Print Article

The Huygens mission to Saturn's moon Titan is probably a success, space agency scientists have announced.

The spacecraft probe was transmitting data for over two hours as it plunged towards the moon's surface.

This data has not arrived on Earth yet, but the Green Bank radio telescope in West Virginia, US, has detected its carrier signal - a sign it is working.

The probe's scientific investigation of this mysterious world could yield clues to how life first arose on Earth.

"I want to make sure that we don't miss the significance of seeing that signal," said Alphonso Diaz, associate administrator for science at the US space agency (Nasa).

"Probably one of the most difficult entry activities has just been accomplished successfully."

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