Goodfellow supplied platinum wires that played a vital role in the Cassini-Huygens probe when it collected data from Saturn.
When the Cassini-Huygens probe hurtled toward the surface of Saturn on 15 September for the final act of its magnificent voyage ('The Grand Finale'), it took with it a sensor that had a direct connection to Goodfellow.
The spacecraft was made up of the Cassini orbiter, developed by NASA, and the Huygens probe, developed by the European Space Agency. Huygens was the first human-made object to land on a world in the distant outer solar system. Instruments on board Huygens included a sensor that measured thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity by means of platinum wires supplied by Goodfellow. The sensor relayed to Earth data that showed a surface resembling wet sand or clay with a thin crust and a temperature of -180degC, as well as other information of great scientific value.
Stephen Aldersley, Goodfellow Chief Executive Officer, comments: "Goodfellow is tremendously proud to have been part of the Cassini-Huygens project, one of the most ambitious and challenging interplanetary explorations ever mounted. We eagerly look forward to contributing to future explorations of the solar system and beyond."
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