In a cloudy atmosphere, shallow lakes of liquid hydrocarbons are hidden. TitanWe want to get up close and personal with this strange world. NASA is planning to launch a robotic aircraft to explore the scene in 2027.
Now we have a better understanding of the kind of scenery NASA will be presenting to us. Dragonfly mission.
The lander is expected to reach Saturn’s largest moon in 2034. It will then settle down in the Shangri-la dunes field, near the Selk crater. It is described by researchers as an “scientifically extraordinary area” that merits exploration. We still have much to learn about it.
A new studySix specific areas of the region are mapped, and it is identified as an area likely to be covered with sand dunes or broken up by icy ground. Dragonfly will use the data to build models and hypotheses, which can then be tested once the probe has landed.
“Dragonfly will land in an equatorial, dry region of Titan – a frigid, thick-atmosphere, hydrocarbon world,” says planetary scientist Léa BonnefoyCornell University in New York.
“It rains liquid methane sometimes, but it is more like a desert on Earth – where you have dunes, some little mountains and an impact crater. We are examining the landing site’s structure and its surface.
This close inspection involved an analysis of radar images taken by Cassini. It looked at how radar signals reflect and change from different angles (technically called their). Backscatter curves), the researchers were able to make educated guesses about parts of the Titan surface.
Cassini images are only 300m (984 ft) in resolution. The team also considered data collected by the Huygenslander, which was located to the south of the potential landing site.
Many of these details, like the Selk crater’s height and shape, are only estimates. There is plenty more analysis that can be done between now 2034.
“Over the next few years, we will see a lot more attention paid to Selk crater area.” Alex Hayes is a planet scientistCornell University.
Dragonfly will operate in a manner similar to a consumer drone, and it’s called a “rotorcraft”. It is expected to weigh in at 450 kg (992 pounds) and have eight rotors measuring approximately a meter (3.33 feet) each.
Dragonfly can zoom at 36 km/h in Titan’s low wind and low gravity atmosphere. This allows it to fly further away from its initial landing spot.
Scientists hope to learn more about Titan, which is similar to the Earth’s early days. Our understanding of Titan will grow significantly once Dragonfly arrives. This is similar to what the Curiosity rover showed us. Mars: There’s so much more!.
“Dragonfly is going to finally show us what the region – and Titan – looks like,” Bonnefoy.
The publication of the research was published in Planetary Science Journal.
