Successful Huygens test: last before separation
November 23, 2004
(Source: European Space Agency)

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWMUWJD1E_index_0.html

Cassini-Huygens in orbit around Saturn

ESA's Huygens probe, now orbiting Saturn on board the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini spacecraft, is in good health and successfully passed its sixteenth 'In-Flight Checkout' today.

This in-flight checkout procedure was the last one planned before separation of the Huygens probe from Cassini in December this year. The preliminary analysis of the real-time data received showed all events in the check-out procedure occurred as, and when, expected.

The procedure was carried out live, with Cassini transmitting the data to Earth in real-time. However the data arrived on Earth with a delay of one hour and 10 minutes as this is the time taken for light, and therefore radio signals, to travel the distance between Saturn and Earth.

Contacts:
Jean-Pierre Lebreton
Huygens Project Scientist
European Space Agency
Noordwijk, The Netherlands
Tel: +31 71 565 3600

ESOC Communication Office
European Space Agency
Darmstadt, Germany
Tel: +49 6151 90 2696