File:KSC-05-S-00003 (ksc 010605 huygen separates).webm

English: Poised to fulfill its destiny, a small space traveler has begun the last leg of its journey. On Christmas Eve, the Huygens Probe began its solo descent to the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan. After traveling in tandem with the Cassini Orbiter for seven years, the probe will now complete its mission by keeping a January date with Titan. Huygens was built by the European Space Agency and named for Christiaan Huygens, a Dutch astronomer who in 1655 discovered Titan. The probe was gently pushed away from Cassini by tension-loaded springs. Shortly before Huygens reaches Titan's atmosphere, it will be awakened from a virtual seven-year 'sleep' by an on-board timer. It will then begin its dramatic plunge through Titan's murky atmosphere, with its on-board instruments and cameras gathering and transmitting data back to Cassini along the way. Cassini will relay the data to Earth through NASA's Deep Space Network. The Huygens probe will be plunging into a planetary atmosphere farther away from Earth than any other deep space probe has gone before. The probe's touchdown on Titan is scheduled for January 14.