This Week in Space 198

One of the most exciting missions to ever journey to the outer solar system has the be the Dragonfly multi-rotor helicopter that will head to Saturn's moon Titan in 2028. The car-sized probe will arrive at that strange, frozen world in 2034, descending into the soupy, smoggy atmosphere and then taking flight before it even touches the ground! We spoke with the mission's Principal Investigator, Dr. Elizabeth "Zibi" Turtle, about the mission's origins, current progress, and what to expect in the coming years. She also took us through a narrated tour of the surface of Titan, with its hydrocarbon sand dunes and methane seas. The Dragonfly mission will be an adventure of a lifetime!

Headlines:

• NASA's Artemis II Moon Rocket Aces New Fueling Test
• Boeing Starliner is Rated a "Type A" Mishap and Faces More Launch Delays
• Perseverance Rover Gets Instant Mars GPS-like Functionality

Main Topic: NASA's Dragonfly Mission to Titan

• Dr. Elizabeth Turtle explains Dragonfly's origins and mission concept
• Why Titan is unique and somewhat akin to the primordial Earth, perfect for exploring prebiotic chemistry
• Dragonfly's advanced science suite and autonomous flying capability
• Insights from the Cassini/Huygens missions and how they are shaping Dragonfly
• Navigation, flight strategy, and safety planning for Titan's harsh environment
• Power, heating, and longevity on Titan's freezing surface
• Titan’s dune landscape, flying conditions, and analogs to Earth
• Big scientific questions: methane cycle, atmospheric mysteries, and potential surprises
• Mission timeline, lander design, and the innovative "fly-as-you-land" arrival approach

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• Transcripts: This Week in Space 198 Transcript

Links

• NASA just fueled up its Artemis 2 moon rocket in 2nd critical test. Was it a success? (It sure looked like it.)
• 'We almost did have a really terrible day.' NASA now says Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut flight was a 'Type A mishap'
• NASA’s Perseverance Now Autonomously Pinpoints Its Location on Mars
• Dr. Elizabeth Turtle
• Flights of Exploration Across Saturn's Moon Titan
• Dragonfly - NASA
• What Is Dragonfly?
• NASA's Cassini Spacecraft Reveals Mystery Lakes on Saturn's Moon Titan
• Titan Touchdown
• A Flight Over the Surface of Saturn's Moon Titan