Previous analyses of titan ' s atmosphere have revealed the presence of methane and other hydrocarbons ; these compounds could rain down on the surface ( believed to be made of frozen water ) and form lakes of liquid methane and ethane 先前的分析显示，泰坦的大气含有甲烷和其他碳氢化合物，这些化合物很可能像下雨般落到泰坦地表（一般相信是由结冻的水所构成的） ，因而形成液态甲烷或乙烷的湖泊。
Although the primary goal of the huygens probe is the investigation of titan ' s atmosphere , and no provision has been made for guaranteeing survival on landing ( which would have been too costly ) , scientists are keenly interested in the nature of the moon ' s surface 虽然惠更斯号探测器的主要目标是调查土卫六的大气，且设计上并不保证安全登陆（代价过为昂贵） ，科学家仍对土卫六的表面性质十分感兴趣。
The cloud may be the clue needed in solving a puzzle that has confounded scientists who so far have seen little evidence of a veil of ethane clouds and surface liquids originally thought extensive enough to cover the entire surface of titan with a 300 - meter - deep ocean 该云层将会成为解决长久以来困扰科学家的谜团的线索，科学家们看到了原先设想的覆盖泰坦整个表面的广阔乙烷云和300米深海洋的一丝证据。
Throughout the descent , shifts in the frequency of the probe ' s radio signal will be monitored to infer the strength of titan ' s winds , and the huygens atmospheric structure instrument ( hasi ) will measure temperature , pressure and electrical fields that could indicate the presence of lightning 下降过程中将持续监测探测器无线电讯号的频移，以推算土卫六风场强度；而惠更斯大气结构仪（ hasi ）会量测温度、气压以及可能显示闪电是否存在的电场。
