Vertical pressure profile of Titan—observations of the PPI/HASI instrument

The Huygens entry probe descended through the atmosphere of Titan and provided an excellent set of observations of the atmosphere and the surface of Titan. During the 150-min descent the Huygens Atmospheric Structure Instrument (HASI) observed a comprehensive set of variables, including pressure, temperature, density and atmospheric electricity. The atmospheric pressure profile was recorded by the Pressure Profile Instrument (PPI), provided by Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). The instrument started measurements at an altitude of 150 km, and produced about 28 bits of data per second. Data were also obtained through the time of 31 min beyond the time of surface impact. The first-order scientific analysis of the PPI results has been performed. The observations together with hydrostatic assumption and in combination with other measurements have provided the first atmospheric pressure profile and the surface pressure (of approximately 1467±1hPa) for Titan's atmosphere. To carry out the pressure profile reconstruction we developed a real gas formulation, which is applicable also for other Titan atmospheric investigations. The altitude versus time speed of the descent was calculated and the results were compared with the direct altitude observations by the radar altimeter during the last 40 km of the descent. The fit was excellent demonstrating the high-quality level of the PPI observations as well as the utilized investigation methods.