The international Cassini launch to Saturn is the most comprehensive mission ever undertaken to explore another planet.
Titan has a dense, organically-rich atmosphere composed primarily of nitrogen.
Learning about the organic chemistry of Titan's atmosphere is expected to add important insight into the possibilities for extra-terrestrial life. By exploring the ringed planet and its moons, scientists also will gain valuable clues to understand the early history and evolution of our solar system. At its core may be a rocky body the size of Earth. Saturn lies twice as far away from the Sun as Jupiter and is ten times the diameter of Earth. It gives off more heat than it absorbs from the Sun.