This is really happening! NASA has confirmed the Dragonfly octocopter will launch in 2028. When it arrives, it will fly over the organic-rich sands of Titan, Saturn's largest moon. dragonfly.jhuapl.edu/News-and-Resou…
With an atmosphere that's 4x as dense as Earth's but just 1/7th the surface gravity, Titan is the best place to fly in the solar system. During its time there, Dragonfly could log hundreds of kilometers of flight. aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/features/desig…
@coreyspowell I'm not a scientist and look forward to seeing this. "Organic rich sands". Seems like a stretch. "Organic matter is derived from the breakdown of plant and animal residues by soil organisms such as earthworms, bacteria, fungi, and actinomycetes."
@coreyspowell How do you know there is organic-rich material?
@coreyspowell Are there any plans for it to visit areas around methane lakes?
@coreyspowell How long will the trip to Titan be?
@coreyspowell But it can't possibly that bright over there, right? As in the simulation? Saturn is, what, 1.4 trillion kilometers from the Sun?