Current:Home > MarketsNASA's Dragonfly preparing to fly through atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan -VitalWealth Strategies
NASA's Dragonfly preparing to fly through atmosphere of Saturn's moon Titan
View
Date:2025-04-25 18:18:49
NASA is preparing for its next mission: flying through the atmosphere of one of Saturn's moons.
The space agency's Dragonfly rotorcraft lander mission will be exploring Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, as well as the second largest in the solar system, and NASA announced this week that it performed new tests in preparation for the mission.
Launching in June 2027 and arriving in the mid-2030s, the mission, which is expected to last for nearly three years, will examine how far prebiotic chemistry has progressed, which is the study of how organic compounds formed, and if past or existing life is on the moon.
MORE: Prada to design NASA's next-gen spacesuits
Titan is unique because it's the only moon with a dense atmosphere and the only other object in space aside from Earth where evidence has been found of liquid on the surface.
Part of NASA's New Frontiers Program, Dragonfly will be sampling materials in diverse locations to study the habitability of Titan's environment, it said.
NASA says Titan's environment is similar to Earth in its early stages and may provide clues to how life formed on Earth.
However, NASA and the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, are ensuring the rotorcraft -- which will fly like a drone -- will be able to function in the unique environment.
Researchers have been conducting test campaigns at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, assessing the vehicle's aerodynamic performance in harsh, near-Titan conditions during various stages of the mission.
In one of its latest tests, the team set up a half-scale Dragonfly lander model to test its descent once it arrives on Titan and its flight over the surface.
"We tested conditions across the expected flight envelope at a variety of wind speeds, rotor speeds and flight angles to assess the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle," test lead Bernadine Juliano of the APL said in a statement on NASA's website.
"We completed more than 700 total runs, encompassing over 4,000 individual data points. All test objectives were successfully accomplished, and the data will help increase confidence in our simulation models on Earth before extrapolating to Titan conditions," Juliano said.
Earlier this month, NASA held a press conference to unveil the contents of the OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification and Security -- Regolith Explorer) mission, also part of the New Frontiers program.
MORE: Prada to design NASA's next-gen spacesuits
The asteroid sample collected from space contains "the building blocks of life on Earth," according to the space agency.
The samples from the asteroid contained abundant water in the form of hydrated clay minerals and molecules, which may have led to the formation of lakes, oceans and rivers on Earth and had a high abundance of carbon, which may explain how Earth was seeded with chemicals.
This is not the first time researchers have attempted to explore Titan.
The European Space Agency's Huygens Probe landed on the moon in January 2005 and spent about four hours discovering new information about Titan's atmosphere and surface.
ABC News' Gina Sunseri contributed to this report.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vs. RAV4 Prime: How to find the right compact SUV for you
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score Sunday? Fever rookie shutdown in blowout loss
- Northern lights in US were dim compared to 'last time mother nature showed off': What to know
- Skins Game to make return to Thanksgiving week with a modern look
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Bi Couples
- Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, known for bringing victims to pig farm, dead after prison assault
- Boeing Starliner's first astronaut flight halted at the last minute
- Are Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp down? Meta says most issues resolved after outages
- Maya Hawke on her new music, dropping out of Juilliard and collaborating with dad, Ethan
Ranking
- Rylee Arnold Shares a Long
- UFC 302 results, full fight card highlights: Islam Makhachev submits Dustin Poirier
- LGBTQ representation in government is growing but still disproportionate: Graphics explain
- Atlanta water main break causes major disruptions, closures
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Powerball winning numbers for June 1 drawing: Jackpot climbs to $171 million
- 1 family hopes new law to protect children online prevents tragedies like theirs
- Texas Supreme Court rejects challenge to state’s abortion law over medical exceptions
Recommendation
Illinois Gov. Pritzker calls for sheriff to resign after Sonya Massey shooting
Florida architects prepare for hurricane season and future storms: Invest now or pay later
West Virginia hotel where several people were sickened had no carbon monoxide detectors
What to know about Mexico’s historic elections Sunday that will likely put a woman in power
Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
Swimmer injured by shark attack on Southern California coast
Climate Change is Fueling the Loss of Indigenous Languages That Could Be Crucial to Combating It
Shiloh Jolie-Pitt wants to drop dad Brad Pitt's last name per legal request, reports state