Lifting Titan's Veil - Exploring the Giant Moon of Saturn
Ralph Lorenz, Jacqueline Mitton
Published May 2002
268 pages 26 line diagrams 43 half-tones 19 colour plates 1 table Hardback

Lifting Titan’s Veil is a revealing account of the second largest moon in our solar system. This
world in orbit around Saturn is the only body in the solar system with an atmosphere
strikingly similar to Earth’s. Titan is like a giant frozen laboratory that may help scientists
understand the first chemical steps towards the origin of life. Beginning with its discovery in
1655, the authors describe our current knowledge of Titan, including observations made
before the space age, results from the Voyager missions of the 1980s, and recent revelations
from the world’s most advanced telescopes. Ralph Lorenz includes his personal experiences
in preparing for the Cassini mission, which will reach Saturn in 2004 and release the Huygens
probe into Titan’s atmosphere in 2005. This book is a splendid introduction to Titan, and will
appeal to anyone interested in astronomical discovery and space exploration.

Contents
Preface; 1. Discovering Titan; 2. Seeing Titan; 3. Titan’s puzzling atmosphere; 4. Murky
meteorology; 5. Titan’s landscape; 6. The Cassini-Huygens mission; 7. The shape of things
to come; Appendix. Titan - physical and dynamical data; Bibliography.

Reviews
‘On 14 January, 2005, the Huygens probe will touch down, making titan the most distant
place so far visited by a soft-lander from Earth. In Lifting Titan’s Veil the challenges and
pitfalls of a mammoth space mission are balanced by a thorough review of the painstaking
scientific quest to understand this amazing mist-shrouded moon … This excellent book
skilfully blends what is known with what we hope to discover.’ David W. Hughes, New
Scientist

‘… a valuable addition to current literature concerning planetary satellites in the solar system
… if you have any interest in planetary evolution, the nature of atmospheres, or the search for
life, you should read this book.’ Richard Taylor, Spaceflight

'Lifting Titan's Veil is an account of the exploration of Titan, Saturn's largest moon, and the
joint effort by the European Space Academy (ESA) and NASA to reveal its secrets with the
Cassini-Huygens mission. … I recommend Lifting Titan's Veil to anyone having an interest in
planetary exploration.' Science

' … an authoritative and readable guide to Titan and what to expect when the Cassini
spacecraft reaches Saturn and releases the Huygens probe into Titan's atmosphere in 2004.'
A&G

'It is a relativity well-kept secret among planetary scientists that Saturn's moon Titan is not
merely the second largest satellite, but one of the most complex and interesting bodies in our
solar system. … Lorenz and Milton have done us all a service by writing a book that
stimulates the public's interest and refreshes scientists' memories before Cassini and
Huygens deliver their floods of data and revolutionize our understanding of Titan forever.'
Randolph L. Kirk, EOS

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