Rolling boulders on Titan could threaten NASA’s Dragonfly mission


An artist’s impression of the Dragonfly rotorcraft on the surface of Titan

NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

NASA’s Dragonfly mission is due to land on Titan in 2034, giving us an unprecedented look at Saturn’s largest moon – but it may also have to dodge wind-driven rolling boulders.

The mission, which will launch in 2028, includes a “rotorcraft” that will explore the moon from the skies. We have had only one up-close glimpse at Titan, thanks to the Cassini orbiter and Huygens probe, which reached the surface in 2005. That mission revealed fields of rounded boulders as well as radar-bright…



Source link : https://www.newscientist.com/article/2472319-rolling-boulders-on-titan-could-threaten-nasas-dragonfly-mission/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home

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Publish date : 2025-03-17 14:00:00

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