A SPACE mission, partly funded by a Swindon research council is nearing its target, seven years after it was launched.
On July 1 the Cassini-Huygens space probe will enter into orbit around Saturn.
The mission was launched from Cape Canaveral on October 15, 1997, and aims to discover more about Saturn and its moon, Titan, which is one of the most geologically active bodies in the solar system.
To do this the Cassini spacecraft will eject the Huygens probe on Christmas Day 2004. The probe will travel for three weeks before landing on Titan on January 14.
It will then conduct experiments allowing scientists an insight into how the moon came into being.
It is believed the moon shares many of Earth's features, including canyons, mountains, craters, rivers, lakes, cataracts, wind-blown waves, shorelines and even snow.
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