Anew world has finally been revealed: on Saturn's moon, Titan, that is. The first spacecraft to reach Titan's surface was the Huygens probe sent aloft by the European Space Agency.

Titan is thought to be the only heavenly body in our solar system that may resemble the state of the Earth when the first life forms began appearing in this planet's oceans.

The American astronomer Carl Sagan bemoaned that we know too little about Titan, and he died dreaming of this day.

Titan has a dense atmosphere rich in nitrogen, similar to that of Earth. The gushing sound of the Huygens probe streaming through that rich atmosphere reached Earth, creating a sensation.

The temperature on Titan is far below freezing, so it has no water. However, Titan does have methane seas. It seems unlikely that familiar life forms could exist there. Who knows? But other life forms might exist. We await the data and the analysis which could shed light on an age-old question, ``Where does life come from?''

All in all, what an astounding achievement. Take Mars, for example. Probes have repeatedly been sent to Mars, so we have a reasonably good idea of what it is like. Still, landing on the red planet remains a difficult endeavour. Not only is Titan much farther away than Mars, it is covered by dense orange-colored fog, making the surface invisible to our ``eyes.'' Even so, the Huygens probe landed safely.

The project was first proposed by European scientists in the early 1980s. The European Space Agency-created by 15 countries, including Germany, France, Britain and Italy-was behind this project all the way. However, its success would have been difficult without collaboration from NASA. After all, it was NASA's Saturn probe spacecraft Cassini that carried Huygens on its seven-year journey and then released it above Titan.

It is unrealistic to expect Europe to do everything on its own, given that the European budget for space programs is less than one-third of NASA's.

The Huygens probe was built solely with Europeans funding. The European Union is also pressing ahead with its ``Galileo project,'' a navigational satellite network to rival the existing U.S. operated Global Positioning System (GPS). In this regard, Europe has managed to bring China on board. Another mission is exploring the moon, and although U.S. President George W. Bush announced his own grand lunar vision last year, Europe has other plans.

Although Europe may not yet be on par with the American space program, it is cobbling money and expertise to pursue original missions that are scientifically meaningful. Europe at times gives Americans cause for pause, but will eagerly cooperate when it is beneficial to do so. When the occasion demands, Europe will use its political prowess to influence U.S. policy.

For example, when the Saturn probe mission was in a crisis due to U.S. government budget cuts, European leaders strenuously pushed their American counterparts to continue the program.

Europe's relationship with the world's only superpower sometimes requires it to be alarmingly blunt and forceful. At other times, Europe is very cooperative. In this sense, the current alliance between Europe and the United States looks like it has been superimposed on their relationship in the field of space exploration.

Europe's way of doing things offers a valuable learning tool for Japan. International cooperation in space is only natural. Japan needs to have its own original ideas and technology in order to survive.

Japan's space program, riddled with one mishap and postponement after another, looks rather crestfallen at the moment. This belies the fact that it actually has world-class technology in areas like X-ray astronomy.

Instead of overreaching for programs beyond our capabilities, would it not be better for Japan to challenge the world in precious gem-like projects that utilize the country's strengths?

-The Asahi Shimbun, Jan. 21(IHT/Asahi: January 22,2005)