ESA / NASA / University of Arizona
Huygens Approach
An artist's rendering shows the Huygens probe approaching Titan. The probe was ejected from the Cassini spacecraft, which remains in orbit around Saturn, in December, 2004. The 350-kilogram probe cruised for 22 days, then plunged through Titan's atmosphere at 22,000 kilometers per hour. When it had slowed down to 1,400 kilometers per hour, a series of parachutes opened, permitting a controlled descent to the surface.