Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer Results from the First Flyby of Titan

• DOI: 10.1126/science.1110652
• Publication Date: 2005-05-12T21:03:05Z
• Authors: J. Hunter Waite; Hasso Niemann; Roger V. Yelle; Wayne T. Kasprzak; Thomas E. Cravens; Janet G. Luhmann; Ralph L. McNutt; Wing-Huen Ip; David Gell; Virginie De La Haye; Ingo Müller-Wordag; Brian Magee; Nathan Borggren; Steve Ledvina; Greg Fletcher; Erin Walter; Ryan Miller; Stefan Scherer; Rob Thorpe; Jing Xu; Bruce Block; Ken Arnett
• Keywords: Atmosphere of Titan

The Cassini Ion Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) has obtained the first in situ composition measurements of neutral densities molecular nitrogen, methane, hydrogen, argon, and a host stable carbon-nitrile compounds Titan's upper atmosphere. INMS mass spectrometry also provided evidence for atmospheric waves atmosphere direct isotopes carbon, which reveal interesting clues about evolution bulk thermal structure moon's do not appear to have changed considerably since Voyager 1 flyby.