"Dragonfly" Titan explorer drone, NASA funds Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) |
"Dragonfly" Titan explorer drone, NASA funds Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) |
Dec 20 2017, 09:04 PM
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#1
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 66 Joined: 3-August 12 Member No.: 6454 |
Is there a specific website for this Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) concept for a Titan explorer drone?
Looks to be an RTG powered machine, somewhat reminiscent of MSL Curiosity (RTG sticking out the tail end). But no camera mast, ChemCam, or sampling arm visible in the concept illustration. QUOTE Dec. 20, 2017 RELEASE 17-101 NASA Invests in Concept Development for Missions to Comet, Saturn Moon Titan Dragonfly Dragonfly is a drone-like rotorcraft that would explore the prebiotic chemistry and habitability of dozens of sites on Saturn’s moon Titan, an ocean world in our solar system. Elizabeth Turtle from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, is the lead investigator, with APL providing project management. https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-inv...turn-moon-titan |
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Dec 22 2017, 03:55 PM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 13-April 06 From: Malta Member No.: 741 |
This mission should easily top the list. Titan here we come!
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Dec 30 2017, 05:39 AM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 706 Joined: 22-April 05 Member No.: 351 |
This mission should easily top the list. Titan here we come! The science for a comet sample return is very compelling (as is the science for Dragonfly; it comes down to do you prefer a great apple or a great banana?). And I'd never bet on an easy competition with any proposal lead by Squyres, and he's devoted much of his time the last three years putting his comet sample return proposal together. -------------------- |
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Dec 30 2017, 12:23 PM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 13-April 06 From: Malta Member No.: 741 |
The science for a comet sample return is very compelling (as is the science for Dragonfly; it comes down to do you prefer a great apple or a great banana?). . No disrespect to Squyres, but I can already imagine drone flying over titan lakes and magic Island plus extra miles of vistas to image and investigate. This is too good to let go and yes to me is definitely more compelling than the comet sampling mission. And I'd never bet on an easy competition with any proposal lead by Squyres, and he's devoted much of his time the last three years putting his comet sample return proposal together. |
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Dec 30 2017, 05:30 PM
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#5
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 66 Joined: 3-August 12 Member No.: 6454 |
I can already imagine drone flying over titan lakes and magic Island plus extra miles of vistas to image and investigate. From the description of Dragonfly in http://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/docs/DragonflyTechDigestAPL.pdf it would not be able to go anywhere near the polar lakes region, landing instead in the equatorial dune fields. QUOTE Although the exploration of Titan’s seas had previously been considered, notably by the APL-led Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) Discovery concept, the timing mandated by the announcement of opportunity precluded such a mission. Specifically, with launch specified prior to the end of 2025, Titan arrival would be in the mid-2030s, during northern winter. This means the seas, near Titan’s north pole, are in darkness and direct-to-Earth (DTE) communication is impossible. Like TIME, Dragonfly also proposes direct-to-Earth (DTE) communication. Maybe a south-polar visit might be feasible ? ....Ontario Lacus ?? |
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Dec 30 2017, 06:03 PM
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#6
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2517 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
Maybe a south-polar visit might be feasible ? ....Ontario Lacus ?? From the article: QUOTE Arrival at Titan in the mid-2030s with DTE communication suggests a low-latitude landing site. This requirement means a similar location and season to the Huygens descent in 2005, so the wind profile and turbulence characteristics measured by the Huygens probe are directly relevant. Furthermore, the sand seas that girdle Titan’s equator are both scientifically attractive and favorable in terms of terrain characteristics for landing safety—indeed, it was for these reasons that the 2007 Flagship Study identified these dune fields as the preferred initial target landing area. And it's unlikely that the vehicle will have enough range to fly from equator to pole. -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
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Dec 31 2017, 02:12 AM
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#7
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Member Group: Members Posts: 706 Joined: 22-April 05 Member No.: 351 |
And it's unlikely that the vehicle will have enough range to fly from equator to pole. I'm not so sure. Assume that Dragonfly lands exactly at the equator. The north pole (and the lake region begins before this) is 4044 km away. Assume that Dragonfly has had a great prime mission and the team is willing to just push it to go the distance. At 40 km per hop once every Titan day (~16 Earth days), the north pole is 4.4 years away. Given that Titan is pretty benign, once you've solved the problem of how to stay warm (always take your warm MMRTG with you when you visit), the limiting factor on the mission may well be how long the the MMRTG power lasts given radioactive decay. This map in this conference abstract suggests targets that might be in the range of a primary or a first extended mission. LPSC 2017 abstract -------------------- |
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