"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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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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Sep 5 2019, 06:33 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2542 Joined: 13-September 05 Member No.: 497 |
From https://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/News-and-Resou...4_03-Lorenz.pdf (which answers a lot of questions):
QUOTE a sampling arm like those used on Viking, Phoenix, or the Mars Science Laboratory, was considered, but it would be expensive and heavy and presented a single-point failure. Instead, two sample acquisition drills, one on each landing skid, with simple 1-degree-of-freedom actuators were selected... the material is sucked up through a hose and is extracted in a cyclone separator (much like in a Dyson vacuum cleaner) for delivery to the mass spectrometer instrument. -------------------- Disclaimer: This post is based on public information only. Any opinions are my own.
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Sep 5 2019, 01:04 PM
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Member Group: Members Posts: 684 Joined: 24-July 15 Member No.: 7619 |
From https://dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/News-and-Resou...4_03-Lorenz.pdf (which answers a lot of questions): QUOTE Instead, two sample acquisition drills, one on each landing skid, with simple 1-degree-of-freedom actuators were selected... Yes, that's a great resource to get information. However, the idea of drills mounted to the skids and sampling near the triple point of methane rock is what prompted me to imagine "hammer sampling" instead... So, if the drill bit generates friction and pressure, and the bulk material is close to phase change temperature: 'I triple dog dare ya' to guess what could possibly go wrong... hint ... kid-tongue-flagpole |
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Sep 6 2019, 03:59 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2530 Joined: 20-April 05 Member No.: 321 |
The precise composition of Titan's surface is still unknown; there are several substances that we know could or should be there, but there is also extremely complex chemistry taking place and this is not completely understood. It remains possible that the surface material, in many places, would have melting points far above anything that Dragonfly would generate. Just because Titan is very cold, that doesn't mean that solids on its surface melt at low temperatures. There certainly are substances making up part of Titan that would melt at low temperatures, but we don't know that those are at the surface. Some simple molecules that could exist as solids on Titan – H2O and CO2 – would not melt readily in the first case and would sublimate rather than melt in the second.
I'm not sure how one would assess the risk of stickiness when the surface composition is so subject to doubt, but I think one key is that by the time Dragonfly gets to the surface, its skids will be close to ambient temperatures. |
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