Videos

SATURN'S TITAN: VOYAGE TO THE MYSTERY MOON

VOYAGE TO THE MYSTERY MOON follows the story of NASA and the European Space Agency's Cassini-Huygens mission, designed for multiple flybys past Saturn and one of its moons, Titan; as well as an actual landing on the mysterious orange moon. This long term mission engaged scientists since 1990.

VOYAGE TO THE MYSTERY MOON chronicles a bold voyage of discovery to Saturn and its enigmatic moon Titan. We see striking images of these fascinating planetary bodies nearly a billion miles from Earth. Saturn's broad rings hold myriad mysteries, and Titan, whose soupy atmosphere is similar to the one that enshrouded our planet billions of years ago, may hold clues to the origins of life. The design, construction, testing, and launch of Cassini- Huygens offers an inside look at the intricacies of space engineering and science. The Cassini satellite is built to orbit Saturn, using its 12 instruments and sophisticated cameras to capture images from orbit. The Huygens space probe is carried by Cassini.

Seven years after its launch, the Cassini satellite reaches its destination. In addition to its investigation of Titan, Cassini is to help answer the most basic questions about Saturn's rings: what are they made of and how were they formed.

Once Cassini is in position, the Huygens space probe separates and prepares to touch down. As the time arrives, the film crew NOVA is at mission control. It is an excruciating wait for contact, and the tension is palpable as screens remain blank long past the expected communication point. For many of these scientists, this mission is the culmination of their careers. When at last the numbers appear, a cheer goes up from the crowd. Data pour in along with the first surprising pictures from Titan's surface.

Rights: We have public performance and educational rights for this video