Dragonfly mission to Titan

[Flyaway]

Awesome news in my book this decision.

BIG NEWS: The next

@NASASolarSystem

mission is… #Dragonfly – a rotorcraft lander mission to Saturn’s largest moon Titan. This ocean world is the only moon in our solar system with a dense atmosphere & we’re so excited to see what Dragonfly discovers: (link: https://twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1BdGYARXvdYGX) twitter.com/i/broadcasts/1…

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1144334797101260800

Official website:

Dragonfly

Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan.

dragonfly.jhuapl.edu

 

[Michel Van]

dam it takes 15 years until arrival at Titan
if Capitol Hill give money for a nuclear powered drone
and do include the mission a Titan orbiter/communication Sat for Dragonfly ?

 

[Grey Havoc]

That would be far too logical for the denizens of Congress, especially the ones currently in control of the House of Representatives.

 

[Flyaway]

dam it takes 15 years until arrival at Titan
if Capitol Hill give money for a nuclear powered drone
and do include the mission a Titan orbiter/communication Sat for Dragonfly ?

I believe the drone will be doing direct contact with Earth.

New Frontiers missions which this is one are cost capped at $1 billion.

 

[Flyaway]

NASA will fund a revolutionary mission to fly through Titan’s atmosphere

"[Dragonfly] has so much potential for fundamental science," said Elizabeth Turtle, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physical Laboratory who is the principal investigator for the mission. Scientists believe the complex organic chemistry in the atmosphere of Titan and on its surface may look something like the chemistry on Earth before life developed. "Titan is just a perfect chemical laboratory to understand pre-biotic chemistry," Turtle said.

"We want to do something bold and take measured risks," said Zurbuchen, who added that the weight of Apollo's 50th anniversary has been on his mind. This is an agency that has done great things, and his Science directorate wants to live up to that legacy.

"I've been asking myself what it means to be a part of an agency that has this great history," he said. One thing it appears to mean is that NASA could have something to celebrate on the 65th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

 

[Flyaway]

Phil Plait usually does good articles and this one on Dragonfly is worth a read I think.

NASA will be sending a quadcopter called Dragonfly to Titan

Hey, go ahead and read that title again. It sounds like science fiction, but it's science fact: NASA is sending a flying robot to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn and a world where organic molecules rain down from the sky and fall into lakes of liquid methane.

www.syfy.com

Plus new NASA video about the mission.

 

[Grey Havoc]

 

[Flyaway]

 

[FighterJock]

An interesting video Flyaway, thanks for posting it.

 

[Flyaway]

New article on the mission.

Dragonfly Is the First Aircraft Built for the Outer Solar System

NASA returns to Saturn’s largest moon with a rover that can fly.

www.airspacemag.com

 

[FighterJock]

New article on the mission.

Dragonfly Is the First Aircraft Built for the Outer Solar System

NASA returns to Saturn’s largest moon with a rover that can fly.

www.airspacemag.com

I cannot wait for Dragonfly mission to get the go ahead and gets to go to Titan, I would like to to know how Dragonfly would fly on Titan semi-autonomous or fully autonomous?

 

[Michel Van]

I would like to to know how Dragonfly would fly on Titan semi-autonomous or fully autonomous?

launch date for moment is 2026
it can be that over next 5 years
the Dagonfly Software is ready for fully autonomous operation

 

[Flyaway]

View: https://youtu.be/bTsRTZ9hflk

 

[Flyaway]

You can guess the reason for the delay.

Dragonfly Launch Moved to 2027

Dragonfly is a NASA mission that delivers a rotorcraft to Saturn’s moon Titan to advance our search for the building blocks of life.

www.nasa.gov

 

[Flyaway]

Something else for Dragonfly to look out for in the atmosphere of Titan.

‘Weird’ Molecule Discovered in Titan’s Atmosphere

NASA scientists identified a molecule in Titan’s atmosphere that has never been detected in any other atmosphere.

www.nasa.gov

 

[FighterJock]

Something else for Dragonfly to look out for in the atmosphere of Titan.

‘Weird’ Molecule Discovered in Titan’s Atmosphere

NASA scientists identified a molecule in Titan’s atmosphere that has never been detected in any other atmosphere.

www.nasa.gov

Titan keeps on getting stranger and stranger, I am looking forward to 2027 and the launch of Dragonfly. Hopefully it will discover what is producing the molecule in Titan’s atmosphere.

 

[Flyaway]

Selection and Characteristics of the Dragonfly Landing Site near Selk Crater, Titan - IOPscience

 

[Flyaway]

The MMRTG will power NASA’s Dragonfly mission to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, and is being considered for the Trident mission to explore Neptune’s largest moon Triton, which is believed to have a liquid ocean.

Aerojet Rocketdyne Receives Contract for up to Two More MMRTGs for Future Deep Space Exploration Missions

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 12, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne recently received a contract award to deliver up to two Multi-Mission Radioisotope...

www.globenewswire.com

 

[Grey Havoc]

Some good news.