The Planetary Society in cooperation with the European Space Agency has awarded First Place to Frank Hettick in the Adult Division of the International Competition highlighting the landing of the Cassini-Huygens space probe on Titan, a moon of Saturn!

Some 435 entries from around the world were received in the competition! The contest was termed "Imaging Titan: Artists Peer Beneath the Veil"!

The artist presented a one-of-a-kind un-numbered 20" x 40" canvas giclee of 'Titan Touchdown' to the Planetary Society to be placed on display at the European Space Agency headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany during the live broadcast of the first data signals returned to Earth on January 14, 2005!

That un-numbered canvas is now on display at The Planetary Society's offices in Pasadena, California.

Hettick's rendering of the Huygen's probe as it was about to land on the rugged rock-strewn surface beneath reddish-orange storm clouds was also selected to appear on the Discovery Science Channel worldwide television special of the Titan landing broadcast just two days following the actual event!

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Hettick says:

"The Titan question had been discussed at length on the International Association of Astronomical Artists (IAAA) member's listserver - and I was intrigued by the conversations about 'What will the surface really be like? What color will the sky turn out to be? Could Saturn or any stars actually be visible from Titan's surface?'  I decided to paint "Titan Touchdown" the way I would expect the surface to look and I decided to downplay the mechanical and technical aspects of the probe itself - simply to put things into perspective that Titan is a vast, stormy, smoggy and alien land!   That is why the probe is seen as rather small in my interpretation of Titan's surface."

Quote is courtesy of The Planetary Society