"Dragonfly" Titan explorer drone, NASA funds Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Options

[Jaro_in_Montreal]

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.

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

[atomoid]

...Dragonfly would advance 10 km per flight. Assuming one flight per Titan day ...

looks like that average 10km value already has baked into it having to operate largely within limited communication windows when Selk crater isn't occluded from comm link with Earth, which seems like it would consist of on/off 8-earth-day sessions as the 'Titan day' of activity, since despite autonomous abilities I suspect 'daily' uplinks are still going to be the basis of operation (and someone might do Celestia simulations to enlighten us on communications windows) so apparently no red-eye flights to increase that 10km, but in an extended mission scenario who knows, RTG power allowing.. seems the plan is to send Dragonfly purely on its own, no assistive communications relay or independent sister orbiter with its own suite of experiments, no MarCO analog with jumbo solar array.. but such are hopes and wishes and unlimited budgets...

[vjkane]

...Dragonfly would advance 10 km per flight. Assuming one flight per Titan day ...

looks like that average 10km value already has baked into it having to operate largely within limited communication windows when Selk crater isn't occluded from comm link with Earth, which seems like it would consist of on/off 8-earth-day sessions as the 'Titan day' of activity, since despite autonomous abilities I suspect 'daily' uplinks are still going to be the basis of operation (and someone might do Celestia simulations to enlighten us on communications windows) so apparently no red-eye flights to increase that 10km, but in an extended mission scenario who knows, RTG power allowing.. seems the plan is to send Dragonfly purely on its own, no assistive communications relay or independent sister orbiter with its own suite of experiments, no MarCO analog with jumbo solar array.. but such are hopes and wishes and unlimited budgets...

One of the technical articles on Dragonfly showed an example power budget over a Titan day. Between the one flight, science, and communications to Earth, the battery was drawn down to about 30%. The craft then went into low power mode for the night with just occasional science activities to recharge the battery.

Another reason for no nighttime flights is that the navigation depends on assessing images taken in flight, which requires daylight.

...Dragonfly would advance 10 km per flight. Assuming one flight per Titan day ...

looks like that average 10km value already has baked into it having to operate largely within limited communication windows when Selk crater isn't occluded from comm link with Earth, which seems like it would consist of on/off 8-earth-day sessions as the 'Titan day' of activity, since despite autonomous abilities I suspect 'daily' uplinks are still going to be the basis of operation (and someone might do Celestia simulations to enlighten us on communications windows) so apparently no red-eye flights to increase that 10km, but in an extended mission scenario who knows, RTG power allowing.. seems the plan is to send Dragonfly purely on its own, no assistive communications relay or independent sister orbiter with its own suite of experiments, no MarCO analog with jumbo solar array.. but such are hopes and wishes and unlimited budgets...

One of the technical articles on Dragonfly showed an example power budget over a Titan day. Between the one flight, science, and communications to Earth, the battery was drawn down to about 30%. The craft then went into low power mode for the night with just occasional science activities to recharge the battery.

Another reason for no nighttime flights is that the navigation depends on assessing images taken in flight, which requires daylight.

[JRehling]

This is probably already in everyone's consciousness but day/night cycles and radio contact with Earth are almost equivalent, except for superior conjunction when the Sun will block radio contact.

A lander/flyer/floater at high latitudes, however, could spend several terrestrial years in continuous daylight and continuous radio contact with Earth. An equatorial landing site would mean almost uniform periods of day/night.

Terrain types on Titan correlate very strongly with latitude. The polar stuff and the equatorial stuff are almost literally two different worlds.