# Cassini lands on Titan Friday **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 11, 2005, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253 "2005-01-11T19:05:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/81 "2005-01-15T23:53:15Z")
[More sounds of Titan.](http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/sounds/cassini-huygens/Sound_of_Titan-After_Impact.mp3) ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/82 "2005-01-16T00:35:29Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > And they’re apparently seas of liquid natural gas (methane)? > > If we can get the oil industry behind this, we’ll have a kickass space program in no time! Not to mention a great source of [titanium!](http://pearl1.lanl.gov/periodic/old/elements/22.html) ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/83 "2005-01-16T00:58:44Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [More sounds of Titan.](http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/sounds/cassini-huygens/Sound_of_Titan-After_Impact.mp3) Hmmmm. If I plug my laptop into some decent speakers, I think I can hear slight variations in the whooshing sound that could maybe be changes in wind-speed or direction. I also feel like I can hear a quiet, periodic, dull, somewhat metallic sound in the background, almost like someone was gently rapping their finger against the side of Huygens at regular intervals. Maybe it’s just an artifact, or maybe the instruments aboard Huygens are actually making this noise, and the microphone picked it up. It’s damn cool, whatever it is. The fact I’m actually hearing realistic sound from another planet (well, moon) makes me tingly! ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/84 "2005-01-16T02:51:58Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > A harmonium, maybe? > > ::crosses fingers:: That would be if they were on Mars, **koeeoaddi** – maybe Salo will get his missing part at last! Did the sound receivers pick up the cries of the blue birds? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/85 "2005-01-16T04:24:13Z")
[And the conspiracy theories have begun!](http://s7.invisionfree.com/Starlight_Ballroom/index.php?showtopic=5060&st=0) ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/86 "2005-01-16T06:52:21Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > That would be if they were on Mars, **koeeoaddi** – maybe Salo will get his missing part at last! > > Did the sound receivers pick up the cries of the blue birds? > > 🙂 :smack: Well, it _has_ been over 30 years since I read the thing. Are you sure it was Mars? Now that I think about it, wasn’t it Mercury? ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/87 "2005-01-16T13:13:59Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [And the conspiracy theories have begun!](http://s7.invisionfree.com/Starlight_Ballroom/index.php?showtopic=5060&st=0) And this surprises anyone? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/88 "2005-01-16T14:10:09Z")
Well, they had to edit out all the mind-controlling slug-like alien monsters. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/89 "2005-01-16T16:26:11Z")
> [@koeeoaddi](#): > > :smack: > > Well, it _has_ been over 30 years since I read the thing. > > Are you sure it was Mars? Now that I think about it, wasn’t it Mercury? :smack: yes it was Mercury! I blame the localised chrono-synclastic infundibulum. I ought to know better, being at the U of Delaware at the moment – Vonnegut donated many, many original manuscripts to our rare book collection, and I have been reading his stuff since I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![umop\_ap\_sdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/dbc845/32.png) [@umop\_ap\_sdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/umop_ap_sdn)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/90 "2005-01-16T17:04:39Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [More sounds of Titan.](http://esamultimedia.esa.int/multimedia/sounds/cassini-huygens/Sound_of_Titan-After_Impact.mp3) For some reason this won’t play on Winamp 2.x. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/91 "2005-01-16T17:42:13Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Well, they had to edit out all the mind-controlling slug-like alien monsters. All glory to the Hypno-Toad!! No-no-no! Not _you_, **Hypnotoad**! The _other_ Hypno-Toad! 😉😃 ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/92 "2005-01-16T17:51:16Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [And the conspiracy theories have begun!](http://s7.invisionfree.com/Starlight_Ballroom/index.php?showtopic=5060&st=0) I got a message that I’m not allowed to use that board. I’ll just thank my luck stars. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/93 "2005-01-16T19:00:26Z")
A big ass mosaic put together by a spaceflight fanatic can be found [here.](http://anthony.liekens.net/titan/bigmosaic.jpg) It looks like satellite imagery of the Amazon river basin cept it’s on Titan. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/94 "2005-01-16T19:03:48Z")
Thanks for the link. So, do we call this hydrology, even though it’s methane causing the erosion? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/95 "2005-01-16T19:06:49Z")
> [@OtakuLoki](#): > > Thanks for the link. > > So, do we call this hydrology, even though it’s methane causing the erosion? I’d imagine so, since methane is a hydrocarbon. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/96 "2005-01-16T19:16:01Z")
[Interesting image.](http://www.fileplace.info/14012005/3697.jpg) Wonder what the explaination for how that rock formation developed is going to be? ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/97 "2005-01-16T20:05:34Z")
Hm, they’re saying they lost one data [channel](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4177401.stm). > [@](#): > > The loss of the data channel has resulted in about 350 images being returned by the probe instead of over 700. Is it just me or do I recall the duplicate data channels would all be sending back the same information for redundancy? Why would the loss of one change anything with the data from the mission? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/98 "2005-01-16T20:12:07Z")
> [@clayton\_e](#): > > Hm, they’re saying they lost one data [channel](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4177401.stm). > > Is it just me or do I recall the duplicate data channels would all be sending back the same information for redundancy? Why would the loss of one change anything with the data from the mission? Yeah, there’s some redundancy built into the system, so as far as the images go, it’s not a total loss, since there was some overlap of the pictures. However, some of the scientific data was totally lost. All because of a coding glitch. [Interesting animated gif of some of the shots.](http://www.mars.asu.edu/~gorelick/huygens1.gif) If you look closely, you can see what appears to be a snowflake drifting past the lens. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/99 "2005-01-16T21:36:35Z")
[Mr. Bunny’s on Titan!](http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2004-7/780572/titan.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2005, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253/100 "2005-01-16T22:03:58Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > [Interesting image.](http://www.fileplace.info/14012005/3697.jpg) Wonder what the explaination for how that rock formation developed is going to be? BUGGERRIT! MILLENIUM HAND & SHRIMP! Also :eek: . Don’t _do that_, **Tuck**! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cassini-lands-on-titan-friday/284253.md?page=6)