1. The characteristic entry parameters for a probe returning from deep space assuming guided reentry are: entry velocity: 12 - 15 Km/s - entry altitude: 220 KPP - entry heat flux: 0.6 - 1.0 kw/cm**2 - entry vehicle mass: between 200 - 500 Kg - entry angle limit: about 10 deg (to
2. Aiming for launch in 1996, the NASA provided Orbiter spacecraft will carry the ESA Titan Probe on its 7 years interplanetary trajectory to the planet Saturn, where the Probe will be targetted and separated from the orbiter about 12 days before Titan encounter. The Probe will enter Titan's atmosphere and allow for start of chemical sampling with the scientific instruments as soon as the entry velocity has been reduced to subsonic speed. The main objective of the probe mission will be the determination of the chemical composition of khe atmosphere, the measurement of winds, temperature and pressure profiles from an altitude of 170 km down to the surface. High priority has also been given to the determination of the nature and composition of the surface, which is masked by thick layers of aerosol. Although it is not a mission requirement, the probe's post-surface impact survival could enhance the scientific return by allowing experiment operation on the surface.