History

History:

  • Titan discovered by Christiaan Huygens in 1655.

  • Gerard Kuiper observed Titan in 1940s, discovered methane, and decided (correctly) that Titan must have a methane-rich atmosphere.

  • First spacecraft to visit were Voyager 1 and 2 which flew past in 1980 and 1981.

  • These spacecraft saw a featureless globe.

    http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/

    Next

    Back to Lecture 21 outline

    Back to lectures page

    Back to main course page