NASA’s Nuclear Drone Will Search for Life on Titan

As a part of NASA's New Frontiers mission, the Dragonfly drone will explore the terrain of Saturn's moon, Titan, in search of key ingredients for life.

NASA’s next solar system exploration mission will send a drone-like rotorcraft, called the Dragonfly drone, to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan.

The Dragonfly team won NASA’s New Frontiers competition, the same program that the New Horizons spacecraft participated in. NASA considers this competition a representation of the critical step in the advancement of solar system and space exploration.

The Dragonfly mission is led by a team out of John Hopkins University, but it was an international collaboration to get the unique duel quadcopter design.The spacecraft is expected to touch down in 2034 in the moon’s dune fields and then fly to dozens of different locations.

Once on the ground, the Dragonfly drone will use various instruments to identify the terrain’s chemical composition, listen for Titanquakes, monitor atmospheric conditions, and more.

Dragonfly’s ultimate destination is the Selk impact crater, where there’s evidence of past liquid water and complex organic molecules.

The nuclear drone is expected to launch in 2026. Learn more about the Dragonfly nuclear drone, the Dragonfly mission, and what scientists hope to find on Saturn’s moon, Titan, in this episode of Countdown To Launch.

NASA’s Crazy Plan to Send a Space Submarine to Titan

Read More:
NASA drone will soar over Saturn's largest moon
"The nuclear-powered Dragonfly can fly tens of kilometres in less than an hour, allowing it to cover ground much faster than a wheeled rover could. Over the course of a two-year mission, the drone could traverse hundreds of kilometres."

Titan
"Titan has clouds, rain, rivers, lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbons like methane and ethane. The largest seas are hundreds of feet deep and hundreds of miles wide. Beneath Titan’s thick crust of water ice is more liquid—an ocean primarily of water rather than methane."

Huygens
"ESA's Huygen's probe was designed to study the smog-like atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon Titan as it parachuted to the surface. It also carried cameras to photograph the moon's surface. Huygen's traveled to Saturn aboard NASA's Cassini orbiter."

____________________

Countdown to Launch takes a deep dive into upcoming space missions from around the world,. We interview the people involved and explore the science, innovation and technology that makes them possible.

Seeker explains every aspect of our world through a lens of science, inspiring a new generation of curious minds who want to know how today’s discoveries in science, math, engineering and technology are impacting our lives, and shaping our future. Our stories parse meaning from the noise in a world of rapidly changing information.

[TheExoplanetsChannel]

NASA, please *launch a mini-submarine into the lakes*

[daniellye]

I'd bet it would find a purple man wearing a golden glove talking about balance

[rdiego]

Titan is a desolate place where no life can thrive.
I saw it in a documental called "Infinity War"

[afroartist]

Launches on 2026
And arrives at 2034

Yikes

[mitseraffej]

Cool, I’ll be able to follow its progress from my retirement home.

[TommoCarroll]

I'm always really excited to see scientists getting creative with new forms of transport/machines in general. This is right on the top of the list of coolest ideas in recent years! Nicely done NASA, nicely done.

Bring on Dragonfly 2034 !

[cuntrolldenied]

It was once the home of a big purple dude with chin lines, and it was beautiful.

[lawjones]

"Let me guess... Your home?"
"It was....and it was beautiful"

[mwbgaming]

Imagine the embarrassment if it gets stuck in a tree on day 1

[CxDubxU]

Honestly it killed my buzz when it said 2034

[EvolNioxis]

Titan was like most planets too many mouths not enough to go around and when we faced Extinction I offered a solution..

[rogerwilco]

We need robot bodies. That way I'll be able to see the James Web launch in the year 2525

[rea]

Fingers crossed this is our new summer vacation spot! 😀😀😀

[bobminion]

Wow!!! flying a drone at such an astronomical distance would certainly require AI support.

[ITroopTheSpace]

If there's a dense atmosphere with winds, could you possibly harness wind power on a small scale for electricity?

[aniketb]

God! i'll get my answers to this when i'm 40 years old, human life is so damn short

[Kevan]

Primitive creatures when they see the probe..."Look, a UFO!" 👽

[MadhuSudhanpro]

We build a wall on Titan and make titainians pay for it😂

[ArturoCabello]

Wow. A mission that could change the course of humanity. Crazy to even think about.

[dhruv]

I will reply to this comment in 2034 when it will land on titan