NASA excitedly announces that it will fly a sci-fi spacecraft on a distant moon

Folks, it’s happening.

NASA has announced that the unprecedented Dragonfly mission, which will fly a car-sized spacecraft with eight rotating rotors around Saturn’s moon Titan, has been confirmed for flight. The mission is in advanced stages of design and manufacturing, with budget, vehicle (heavy-lift rocket), and launch date approved for his 2028.

“Dragonfly is an epic science mission with broad community interest, and we’re excited to take the next step with this mission,” Nikki Fox, head of the space agency’s science mission directorate, said in a statement. Stated. “Exploration of Titan will push the boundaries of what can be done with rotorcraft beyond Earth.”

SEE ALSO: NASA scientists view Voyager images for the first time. What he saw gave him chills.

Approximately 880 million miles from Earth, Titan is a fascinating world. It is the only satellite in the solar system that is larger than a satellite and has a thick atmosphere and a liquid mass on its surface. However, Titan’s vast oceans are made up of liquid methane rather than water. Titan’s icy dunes, on the other hand, are rich in organic components necessary for the development of life (as we know it). It’s where the dragonfly spends his three to five years landing, taking off, and exploring.

This region is an area of ​​great scientific intrigue, as primordial surfaces harbor ancient “prebiotic” conditions that may have provided the brew for the eventual formation of life in our solar system. is. It’s like the primitive earth.

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Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and the mission’s principal investigator, said in 2023 that “this is the only place in the solar system where this kind of chemical reaction can be seen.” he told Mashable.

This image from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft shows the sun reflecting off Titan’s northern methane ocean.Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Univ. Arizona / University of Idaho

Concept of a dragonfly zooming over the dunes of Titan.Credit: NASA / Johns Hopkins University APL / Steve Gribben

In addition, the nuclear-powered probe will determine what organic molecules are present on Titan and how it formed, while the mission will also determine whether it is a habitable world. ) and can also look for signs of potential life.

Like many similar endeavors, deep space missions have experienced ballooning costs, budget issues and delays. The current $3.35 billion spaceflight (including operations) is plagued by “additional costs resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, increased supply chain requirements, and extensive design iterations,” NASA said. did.

But now the cosmic deal is done. After a six-year journey, the Saturn-bound spacecraft is expected to land on Titan 10 years after her arrival in 2034. The Moon’s low gravity and thick atmosphere help generate lift, allowing the rumbled spacecraft to fly to various locations on this frigid world.

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