Exploring-the-planets

Exploring the planets 

While manned spacecraft have ventured no furthern then Earth’s Moon, robotic craft have visited all the planets in the Solar System- and more then 100moon.Robotic spacecraft can visit places that would prove lethal for astronauts, such as the scalding surface of Venus or the deadiy radiation belts around jupiter. Packed with scientific instruments, telescopes, and cameras,they carry out dozens of experiments during their missions and capture thousands of images, which are sent back to Earth by radio.

Cassini- Huygens spacecraft 

Cassini- Huygens is largest spacecraft to visit another planet .It was lanched in 1997 and arrived at saturn in 2004. It had tow part s; the Cassini orbiter, designed to orbit Saturn until 2017, and a probe called Huygens, which touched dowen one saturn’s large moon Titan. The main ainm of the mission was to discover more about Titan – the only world in the Solar System other Earth that has a dense, nitroen – rich atmosphere.Small radio antenna- This is one of two small radio dishes that serve as backups in case the main dish breack down. Large radio dish-The large radio dish communicates with Earth.It is also used to map Titan , which it does by bouncing radio waves off the surface. Boom –An 11 metre (36 ft) boom carries instruments to measure Saturn’s magnetic field. The long boom reduces interference from other instruments on Cassini. Rdio antennae – The three long antennae of the radio and plasma wave science (RPWS) instrument detect radio waves generated by Saturn’s outer atmosphere. Thruster – Cassini has four thrusters . These small engines adjust the craft’s flight path precisely . Plutonium power supply (one of three).Maing engine. Helium tank- Helium gas from this tank pushes fuel tanks to the engine . Fuel tanks – The fuel tanks carry two different liquids that burst into flame when mixed. Cosmic dust analyser- This device measures the size and speed of cocmic dust particles in space. Fuel for thrusters. Back cover of Huygens probe. Plasma spectrometer – Ths device measures charged particles trapped by Saturn’s powerful magnetic field. Experiment platform- Huygens carried a rage of scientific instruments to study conditions on Saturn’s moon Titan. Heat shield – Without a heat shield, the Huygens probe would have burned up like a shooting star when it entered the atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan. The shield was made of silica fibre tiles able to withstand temperatures up to 1500⁰C (2,700⁰F)

Triple parachute 

Packed under Huygens’s back cover were three parachutes that opened in turn to slow the lander’s descent on to Titan. Huygens discovered a world of freezing, orange-brown plains littered with pebbles of ice.