Huygens probe mounted on the heat shield. The 1.3-metre-wide probe is located at centre, with struts attaching it to a supportive framework at upper right. The 2.7-metre-wide heat shield (aeroshell) is the larger circular structure seen behind the probe, which protected it as it entered the atmosphere of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn. The Cassini-Huygens mission was a joint project between NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the ESA (European Space Agency) and the ASI (Italian Space Agency). The Cassini spacecraft, launched in 1997, brought Huygens to Titan, and it entered Titans atmosphere on 14 January 2005. After the heat shield had successfully slowed down the probe, a parachute was used to safely bring it to the surface. The gold-coloured material is thermal insulation and foil, which protected the spacecraft during its journey to Saturn.