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Scientists prepare for Huygens descent on Titan

University of Arizona scientists, working on one of the most stunning robotic space missions ever attempted, head for Germany next week. Their experiments ride on the Huygens probe to Saturn's giant moon, Titan, part of the four-year NASA/European Space Agency/Italian Space Agency Cassini Huygens mission to the Saturn system. The probe separated from the Cassini spacecraft early Saturday, Dec. 25, 2004, central European time (or about 8:30 p.m. Dec. 24, Arizona time). Huygens is now on its 14,000 mile-per-hour, 20-day cruise toward Titan. The probe will parachute onto Titan's surface on Jan. 14 - the most distant touchdown any human-made object will have ever made in the solar system.