The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, USA, has submitted a proposal to NASA that describes the concept of an ambitious new New Frontiers-class mission, including a scientifically instrumented twin quadrocopter powered by a radioisotope generator to explore potentially habitable areas on the surface of Saturn's largest moon, Titan.
This mission, called Dragonfly ("Dragonfly"), has already been announced several times before. The device will be able to make numerous flights in the dense atmosphere of Titan, consisting mainly of nitrogen (95 percent) and methane (4 percent) to explore various places on the surface of Saturn's moon using a set of scientific instruments.
The Applied Physics Laboratory's proposal includes the following scientific instruments to be installed on board this lander:
- Mass spectrometer, which will allow to establish the chemical composition of the surface of the satellite of Saturn and its atmosphere;
- Gamma spectrometer, capable of analyzing the chemical composition of a substance located shallow in the near-surface layer;
- Meteorological and geophysical sensors;
- A set of cameras to obtain information about the geological and physical nature of Titan's surface, as well as to search for possible landing zones for the vehicle.
Later this fall, NASA plans to select one of the proposals collected through the New Frontiers program for further study. Only one of the proposed missions will be selected for dispatch as the fourth mission of this program for the exploration of planets and their satellites; the first in this list of missions is the famous New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt. The final selection of proposals for this program is expected in mid-2019.
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