Cassini: Titan Flyby on May 22, 2012
- From: baalke@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 18 May 2012 21:45:55 +0000 (UTC)
http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/titan20120522/
Cassini
Titan Flyby (T-83): Looking at Lakes Again
May. 22, 2012
Radar uses synthetic aperture radar (SAR, a technique which uses that
spacecraft's flight path to simulate a very large radar aperture) to
detect changes in small lakes seen on the T-16
<http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/titan20060722/> and T-19
<http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/titan20061009/> flybys. There
is some overlap with territory expected to be seen in T-95, which is set
to take place in October 2013.
Other RADAR observations include inbound and outbound radiometry, high
synthetic aperture radar (HiSAR, a method like SAR that can be used when
the target is too far away or at the wrong angle for conventional SAR)
and altimetry, along with outbound scatterometry.
Inbound, the visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIMS) looks for
specular reflection on the Northern lakes and also looks to detect
clouds to monitor climatic changes after the equinox. The imaging
science subsystem (ISS) rides along with VIMS' and the composite
infrared spectrometer's (CIRS') observations to image Titan's surface
and atmosphere, including Adiri and the region where changes were
observed in Fall 2010.
With closest approach slightly in the dayside ionosphere, the dual
technique magnetometer (MAG) will be able to study the diffusion of the
external magnetic field at low altitudes and high solar zenith angles.
Titan Flyby at a Glance
Titan Flyby
May 22, 2012 [SCET)
Altitude
593 miles (955 kilometers)
Speed
13,000 mph (5.8 km/sec)
.
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