[X] My Assistant

[pioneer]

I've heard about ideas for a future mission to Titan. I think the most feasible one is to use a balloon. Because Titan's atmosphere is more dense than Earth's, a balloon could easily float. It could also cover more ground than a rover or ground-based vehicle.

I don't think we should send a rover yet because, unlike Mars, we don't have detailed information of the surface on a global scale. For MER, we had MOC and laser altimeter data to determine a safe spot. Although we are gathering altimeter data from the RADAR and some images from SSI and VIMS, I don't think they are detailed enough to determine whether a landing area is safe enough for landing or accessible by a rover.

Also, I think the mission should go directly from cruise stage to descent and avoid orbital entry to Saturn or Titan. Over half of Cassini's weight at launch was due to fuel for SOI. If we eliminate the need for this, we reduce the mass and cost.

Of course, we would need RTGs to power the probe.

I think a mission like this is quite feasible and can be done with less than half the amount of Cassini.

[djellison]

HGA + Titan Atmosphere = big sail = hard to get good earth pointing

Doug