European space probe sent back the first detailed pictures of the frozen surface of Saturn's moon Titan

European Space Agency image from television after the Huygens space probe beamed data including this image back to earth through its Cassini mothership orbiting Saturn's moon Titan.

DARMSTADT, Germany- A European space probe Friday sent back the first detailed pictures of the frozen surface of Saturn's moon Titan, showing stunning black and white images of what appeared to be hilly terrain riddled with channels carved by some sort of liquid. One of the pictures, taken about 15 kilometres above the surface as the Huygens spacecraft descended by parachute to a safe landing following a seven-year voyage from Earth, showed a large dark mass that appeared to be a lake. Another appeared to show large frozen chunks scattered across the landscape. Titan is the first moon other than the Earth's to be explored. Scientists believe its atmosphere is similar to that of the young Earth, and studying it could provide clues to how life arose here. "I think all of us continue to be amazed as we watch our solar system unveil," NASA science administrator Alphonso Diaz said as the images were displayed on screens at mission control in Darmstadt, Germany. "It challenges all our preconceptions that all these planets are static places," Diaz said. "Seeing a planet emerge that has dynamics and complexity to it is just amazing." The wok-shaped Huygens probe was spun off from the Cassini mother ship on Dec. 24 before its descent to the surface of Titan. The mission is a joint effort of the European Space Agency, NASA and the Italian space agency. Scientists say they had received more than three hours of data from Huygens' descent, and more than 10 minutes of data from the surface itself. "I'm shocked. It's remarkable," said Carolyn Porco of the Cassini Imaging Centre. "There are river channels. There are channels cut by something . . . a fluid of some sort is my best guess. "This mission has been like a fantasy come true," she told CNN. "It's a great moment not only for science but for humankind." Applause erupted at mission control in Darmstadt in western Germany at news of the data transmission from the probe. "The scientific data we are collecting now shall unveil the secrets of this new world," said Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA's general director. "This is a fantastic success for Europe." The heart of the mission was the probe's 2½-hour parachute descent, taking pictures and sampling the atmosphere before landing on Titan, where temperatures are estimated at 180 degrees below zero Celsius. Early signals confirmed it had powered up for entry and deployed the parachute, and officials were confident it had made a safe landing because Huygens was designed to go on transmitting from the surface for at least three minutes before its batteries died - a total transmission of less than three hours. But the signal had kept coming for more than five hours. Mission officials - who have waited since 1997 for Huygens to reach its destination - had tears in their eyes as the first signal was picked up, indicating that the probe was transmitting to the Cassini. Named after Titan's discoverer, the 17th-century Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, the probe carries instruments to explore Titan's atmosphere and find out whether it has the cold seas of liquid methane and ethane that have been theorized by scientists.