Titan has an environment somewhat similar to that of Earth before biological activity forever altered the composition of Earth's atmosphere. The major difference on Titan, however, is the absence of liquid water, and Titan's very low temperature.
Jun 06, 2007 | SCIENCE
Building Titan
(Science and Technology Facilities Council) - The Huygens probe landed on Titan two and a half years ago, but the data it collected is still yielding new scientific insights about Saturn's largest moon.
Mar 14, 2007 | SCIENCE
NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Images Seas on Titan
(NASA) - Instruments on NASA's Cassini spacecraft have found evidence for seas, likely filled with liquid methane or ethane, in the high northern latitudes of Saturn's moon Titan. One such feature is larger than any of the Great Lakes of North America and is about the same size as several seas on Earth..
Feb 02, 2007 | SCIENCE
Earth's Hazy Past
(NASA) - Saturns moon Titan is notorious for its shroud of organic haze. Recent experiments suggest that early Earth may have been covered by a similar haze. The discovery could shed light on how life spread around the globe.
Aug 02, 2006 | MISSIONS
NASA Reports That Methane Drizzles on Saturn's Moon
(NASA - ARC) - Researchers report that liquid methane rains from a low liquid methane-nitrogen cloud on the surface of Titan.
Jul 28, 2006 | MISSIONS
Cassini Finds Lakes on Titan's Arctic Region
(NASA - JPL) - NASA's Cassini spacecraft has found lakes on Saturn's moon Titan.
Jul 19, 2006 | MISSIONS
Cassini Reveals Earth-like Land on Titan
(NASA) - New radar images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft revealed geological features similar to Earth on Titan.
May 31, 2006 | MISSIONS
Cassini Snaps Titan and Saturn's Rings
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini has captured an image of Titan behind the famous rings of Saturn.
May 05, 2006 | MISSIONS
NASA and Partners Release New Movies of Titan
(NASA) - New views of the Huygens probe's touchdown on Titan were released yesterday.
Mar 01, 2006 | MISSIONS
Titan Flyby
(NASA) - Cassini finished February with a flyby of Titan.
Jan 24, 2006 | MISSIONS
Predicting the Weather on Titan
(ESA) - Scientists have created a computer model to explain ethane and methane cloud formation on Titan.
Dec 28, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini Caps off Year with Titan Flyby
(NASA) - Cassini finished the year with a flyby of Titan on December 26th.
Nov 04, 2005 | MISSIONS
Honing in on Huygens Landing Site
(NASA - JPL) - The Cassini spacecraft captured new radar views of the Huygens probe landing site on Oct. 28.
Oct 28, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini's Upcoming Look at Huygens Landing Site
(NASA - JPL) - On its next flyby of Titan, Cassini will provide new clues about the moon's surface.
Aug 25, 2005 | MISSIONS
Tour of Titan Continues
(NASA) - Cassini has completed its sixth flyby of Titan.
Jul 07, 2005 | MISSIONS
Hydrocarbon Lake on Titan?
(ESA) - Cassini has identified an intriguing surface feature on Titan.
May 23, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini Deciphers Structure of Saturn's Rings
(NASA) - The Cassini spacecraft obtained the most detailed look at Saturn's rings, including the B ring, which eluded previous robotic explorers.
Apr 11, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini Continues Inspection of Smoggy Moon
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini's multiple instruments provided new views of Titan in a flyby of the moon on March 31st.
Apr 04, 2005 | MISSIONS
A Fifth Successful Flyby of Saturn's Moon Titan
(NASA - JPL) - On March 31, Cassini successfully flew by Saturn's largest moon, Titan, at about 2,400 kilometers.
Mar 03, 2005 | MISSIONS
Rainbows on Titan
(NASA) - Saturn's moon Titan is wet, according to the ESA's Huygens probe, but Titan's "water" is not like Earth's.
Feb 18, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini's Radar Spots Giant Crater on Titan
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini spots giant impact crater the size of Iowa on Saturn's moon Titan.
Feb 10, 2005 | MISSIONS
NASA Observations Help Determine Titan Wind Speeds
(NASA - JPL) - Winds up to about 400 kilometers per hour buffeted the Huygens probe as it descended through Titan's upper atmosphere.
Feb 09, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini Spacecraft Witnesses Saturn's Blues
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini captures images of Saturn's northern hemisphere and the icy moon, Mimas.
Jan 31, 2005 | MISSIONS
Cassini Captures Sunlit Rings of Saturn
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini captures image of Saturn's shadow and moon, Janus.
Jan 21, 2005 | MISSIONS
Seeing, Touching and Smelling the Extraordinarily Earth-like World of Titan
(ESA) - The first scientific assessments of Huygens' data were presented during a press conference at ESA head office in Paris on 21 January.
Jan 18, 2005 | MISSIONS
Huygens Lands in Titanian Mud
(ESA) - Huygens landed on the surface of Titan on January 14, but scientists are continuing to analyze data that the probe sent back to Earth.
Jan 17, 2005 | MISSIONS
View from Ten Kilometers High
(ESA) - Huygens entered Titan's atmosphere on January 14, and has returned valuable data about the mysterious moon.
Jan 14, 2005 | MISSIONS
Radio Astronomers Confirm Hugyens Entry into Titan Atmosphere
(ESA) - A radio telescope involved in tracking Huygens has detected the probe's 'carrier' signal.
Jan 14, 2005 | MISSIONS
Huygens Probe Ready for Spectacular Mission to Titan
(NASA - JPL) - ESA's Huygens probe is on course for its descent to Saturn's mysterious moon Titan on Friday, Jan. 14.
Jan 05, 2005 | MISSIONS
Parachuting to Titan
(NASA) - On Jan. 14, 2005, the European Space Agency's Huygens probe will descend to the surface of Saturn's largest moon.
Dec 28, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Mission Status Report
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini has successfully performed a getaway maneuver to keep it from following the Huygens probe into Titan's atmosphere.
Dec 26, 2004 | MISSIONS
Huygens Begins its Final Journey into the Unknown
(ESA) - The European Space Agency's Huygens probe successfully detached from NASA's Cassini orbiter.
Dec 20, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Shows Before and After Look at Saturn's Moon Titan
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini's second close flyby of Titan completes a 'before' and 'after' look at the fuzzy moon.
Dec 07, 2004 | MISSIONS
Huygens to Begin its Final Journey to Titan
(ESA) - After a seven-year journey, the Huygens probe is about to separate from Cassini.
Nov 30, 2004 | MISSIONS
Nature's Canvas
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini continues to return fantastic images of Saturn.
Nov 26, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Shows Grandeur of Two Saturn Moons
(NASA - JPL) - New views of two of Saturn's moons, Titan and Tethys, represent the most detailed look at these moons to date.
Nov 24, 2004 | MISSIONS
Astrobiology Education Web adds Dynamic Atmosphere Model
(NASA - ARC) - As NASA prepares to study Titan's atmosphere, education experts are helping students investigate the importance of an atmosphere to human life.
Nov 23, 2004 | MISSIONS
Successful Huygens Test
(ESA) - Huygens has successfully completed its last in-flight test before separation.
Nov 08, 2004 | MISSIONS
Radar Image Shows Titan's Surface Live and in Color
(NASA - JPL) - Saturn's moon Titan shows a sharp contrast between its smooth and rough edges in a new false-color radar image.
Nov 04, 2004 | MISSIONS
The Day of Descent
(ESA) - Telescopes on Earth will be pointed at Titan on January 14th in an attempt to see a faint sign of Huygens' descent through the moon's atmosphere.
Oct 28, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Peeks Below Cloud Shroud Around Titan
(NASA - JPL) - Early analysis of images and other data captured during Cassini's flyby of Titan reveals greater surface detail than ever before.
Oct 27, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Successfully Flies by Titan
(NASA - JPL) - The Cassini spacecraft beamed back information and pictures after successfully skimming the hazy atmosphere of Titan.
Oct 25, 2004 |
First Close Encounter of Saturn's Hazy Moon Titan
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini visits Titan on Oct. 26, and may help determine if the moon harbors oceans of liquid methane and ethane.
Oct 22, 2004 | MISSIONS
The Sounds of Titan
(ESA) - Huygens will use a microphone to record the sounds of its descent through the atmosphere of Titan.
Oct 21, 2004 | MISSIONS
NASA Announces Cassini Titan Flyby Coverage
(NASA) - Saturn's smog-cloaked moon Titan will be examined up close by the Cassini spacecraft next Tuesday.
Sep 16, 2004 | MISSIONS
New Object Found in Saturn's Rings
(ESA) - A small object has been found orbiting in Saturn's outer F ring.
Sep 07, 2004 | MISSIONS
Saturn's Moon Titan: Planet Wannabe
(NASA) - Astrobiology Magazine interviews Jonathan Lunine from the Huygens Probe interdisciplinary science team.
Aug 17, 2004 | MISSIONS
Out From the Shadows: Two New Saturnian Moons
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini has uncovered two new moons around Saturn.
Aug 06, 2004 | MISSIONS
Saturn's Shadow and Titan's Glow Shed Light on a Complex System
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini has detected lightning and a new radiation belt at Saturn, as well as a glow around the planet's largest moon, Titan.
Jul 30, 2004 | MISSIONS
Titan's Purple Haze Points to a Fuzzy Past
(NASA - JPL) - New Cassini images reveal some of the key steps in the formation and evolution of Titan's haze.
Jul 22, 2004 | MISSIONS
Saturn's Rings Offer a Fresco of Color
(NASA - JPL) - New images from Cassini will help scientists determine composition of Saturn's rings.
Jul 09, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Finds Mud in Saturn's Rings
(Space.com) - Cassini shows that the inner regions of Saturn's rings are filled with rock and mud.
Jul 05, 2004 | MISSIONS
Titan's Surface Revealed
(NASA) - An instrument onboard Cassini has peered through Titan's dense clouds to see what lies beneath.
Jul 02, 2004 | MISSIONS
Fresh Cassini Pictures Show Majesty of Saturn's Rings
(NASA - JPL) - Cassini returns photographs of Saturn's rings and measurements of the planet's magnetic field.
Jul 01, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Spacecraft Arrives at Saturn
(NASA - JPL) - The international Cassini-Huygens mission has successfully entered orbit around Saturn.
Jun 30, 2004 | MISSIONS
Cassini Spacecraft at Saturn's Doorstep
(NASA) - Cassini will begin its long-awaited entry into orbit around Saturn tonight at 7:36 p.m. Pacific Time.
Jun 14, 2004 | MISSIONS
NASA Scientist Hopes to Explain Saturn's Mysterious 'Black' Moon
(NASA - ARC) - A NASA Ames planetary scientist is part of the science team that will study the data and images returned last week from the closest-ever flyby of Saturn's moon Phoebe.
Nov 01, 2002 | MISSIONS
Titan in View
(Astrobiology Magazine) - The Cassini spacecraft has snapped a photo of its destinations, Saturn and its moon Titan.
Oct 08, 2002 | SCIENCE
Life May Swim within Distant Moons
(BBC) - Oceans of water may lie beneath the icy surfaces of more moons in our solar system than previously thought.
Sep 26, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
ESA to Search for Life, but not as We Know It
(ESA) - Scientists consider what the European Space AgencyÂs Huygens mission to Titan and Venus Express mission could uncover.
Sep 17, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
One Small Step... but Only on a Hospitable Planet!
(ESA) - Robotic explorers in our solar system may pave the way for future human missions.
Aug 30, 2002 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
NASA Researchers Find Wind Blows in TitanÂs Organic Haze
(NASA) - A new model of Titan's atmosphere describes how organic particles form and circulate.
Aug 29, 2002 | MISSIONS
No Bugs Please, This Is a Clean Planet!
(ESA) - ESA is making sure its robotic missions to bodies within our solar system are biologically ÂcleanÂ.
Feb 15, 2002 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Taking to the Air on Saturn's Moon Titan
(Space.com) - Smoggy Titan may one day be explored by blimp.
Jan 11, 2002 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Ice Explorer Conceived for Other Worlds Gets Arctic Test
(NASA) - NASA has successfully field-tested a prototype of a robot that may one day melt through ice on Mars or Europa to look for life.
Oct 30, 2001 | TECHNOLOGIES
NASA Bulldozer Rovers Could Get the Scoop on Mars
(NASA) - Tiny bulldozer rovers may some day dish up the dirt and pack it in on Mars.
Oct 22, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Titan: Biological Birthplace?
(NASA Astrobiology Institute) - SaturnÂs giant moon Titan, cloaked in a thick nitrogen atmosphere laced with hydrocarbons, could provide a laboratory in the sky for scientists seeking insight into the origins of life.
Sep 27, 2001 | MISSIONS
Cassini-Huygens Checks Out Successfully
(ESA) - In its most recent in-flight checkup, all systems aboard the Cassini spacecraft and the Huygens probe are
still fully functional.
Jun 22, 2001 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Cassini/Huygens Mission to Titan Changed to Save Data
(Space.com) - Engineers have devised a fix for an error that would have lost data from Saturn's moon.
May 16, 2001 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
What Is Saturn's Moon Titan Really Made Of?
(Spaceflight Now/ESA) - New images of Titan bolster the idea that an ocean of liquid organic compounds exists on its surface.
Oct 18, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Liquid methane rain on Titan
(BBC) - Scientists have found evidence that methane in the atmosphere of Titan condenses into liquid and rains down on the surface.
Oct 05, 2000 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Engineers work to fix problem with mission to Titan
(NASA) - Engineers hope to repair a communications glitch aboard the Cassini-Huygens space probe, now en route to Saturn's moon Titan.
Aug 16, 2000 | SCIENCE, MISSIONS
Possible ice mountains seen on Titan
(Spaceflight Now/University of Arizona) - A bright spot on this moon of Saturn may be mountains of water ice drenched in a rain of liquid methane.
May 11, 2000 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Robotic missions to explore the solar system
(space.com) - Robots may bring back samples from the Moon and the asteroid belt, and may look for life on Europa. Robotic helicopters could explore Mars and Titan.
Apr 17, 2000 | MISSIONS
Cassini survives the asteroid belt
(Science@NASA) - The Cassini mission may shed light on whether organics in the outer solar system influenced the origin of life.
Oct 13, 1999 | MISSIONS, TECHNOLOGIES
Balloons may explore the solar system and the universe
(Scientific American) - New balloon technologies may be employed in planetary probes and space telescopes.
Aug 18, 1999 | MISSIONS
Cassini-Huygens flies by Earth
(Science@NASA) - The spacecraft has passed through Earth's gravity again to slingshot itself to Saturn.
Aug 17, 1999 | MISSIONS
The fallout from Cassini
(Scientific American) - Controversy
over the spacecraft's plutonium may threaten future missions
to explore the solar system.
Jul 29, 1999 | SCIENCE
Ocean of hydrocarbons on Titan
(BBC) - New images freveal an ocean of liquid methane or ethane on Titan, a moon of Saturn.