The ACP (short for Aerosol Collector Pyrolyzer) is an instrument designed through French and Austrian collaboration. Its main purpose is to perform chemical analysis of aerosols (an airborne particle or collection of particles, such as dust or smoke) in Titan's atmosphere. Studying the composition of Titan's atmospheric aerosols will help scientists better understand Titan's atmosphere.
The ACP works in conjunction with the GCMS to study aerosols. It collects the aerosols and prepares them for chemical analysis; the GCMS does the chemical analysis. The ACP Inlet is where the aerosols prepared by the ACP enter the GCMS. The picture below shows where the ACP and GCMS sit in relation to one another in the Huygens probe.
The diagram on the left shows where the ACP connects the GCMS. (For an enlarged GCMS schematic, click here). The picture on the right shows where the ACP and GCMS sit in relation to one another on the Huygens probe.
All pictures courtesy of the ACP Homepage. For more information, visit the ACP Homepage