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For now, the investigations have made it possible to reconstruct the topography of the area with the maximum precision allowed by the resolution of the images. Confirming the absence of particular hazards or obstacles along the descent trajectory of Dragonfly, and providing various other valuable information to prepare the mission in detail. Such as the height of the crater edges, slightly higher than previously calculated: the new estimates say that it varies from about 200 to 600 meters. Aside from that, the crater should be covered, as expected, by high sand dunes, interspersed with rivers And streams. The extreme temperatures, which reach minus 180 degrees centigradeobviously do not allow to find liquid water. And indeed rivers and lakes of Titan are composed of methane and ethane liquidswhich rain down from the sky in a cycle very similar to that of water on our planet.
The mission
As this is the first visit by a mobile probe to Titan (and probably the only one, at least for the next few decades), NASA is determined to make the most of the undertaking. For this reason, unlike the rover that have been exploring the surface of Mars for decades, a different type of vehicle was chosen: a quadcoptersimilar (in potentiality) to the small ingenuity drone used in the program Perseverancebut equipped with eight rotors (which in effect make it an octacopter), almost heavy 500 kiloscapable of moving at the speed of 36 kilometers per hour and to reach the four kilometers of share. In this way, it will be possible to make the most of the conditions present on the surface, where the low gravity (not even 14% of that of the Earth) and the high density of the atmosphere allow an object to fly using a power 40 times less than that of the Earth. needed on our planet, and will make the performance of Dragonfly (which is the size of a small car and on our planet it would have many mobility problems) similar to those of a drone.
Using a flying vehicle it will therefore be possible to cover great distances, and move with agility from one site of interest to another, analyzing a much larger area than would have been possible with a traditional rover. The mission was therefore designed in a very different way from the past: the drone will be able to carry out exploration flights of approx half an hour each day, and will then return to base camp to recharge its battery with a multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator (basically a small one battery nuclear), while on Earth scientists will decide the new scientific goal to reach the next day, using the information collected.
What they hope to find
Scientists are so curious about the fact that conditions on Titan closely resemble those that could be found on our planet in the distant pastwhen they first appeared the first forms of life terrestrial. For this reason, studying Titan’s surface closely will offer an unmissable opportunity to deepen the knowledge related to the processes that may have led to the birth of life on Earth. The Selk crater it should prove to be the most suitable place to carry out these researches, given that in the past it is believed that there has been the presence of water liquidand it should therefore be possible to study the effects of its interaction with hydrocarbons and the molecules organic complexes whose surface should be covered. A mix from which it is believed that the elements necessary for the development of the first organic life forms on our planet have been produced.
Not that it is impossible to imagine that something similar happened on Titan as well, and that this moon is therefore inhabited by some form of life alienlet’s hope microscopic (something similar to viruses or bacteria). Indeed, most of the astrobiological he hopes from the heart, even if the very low temperatures of the surfaces and the absence of water make it a rather inhospitable environment for life, at least as we know it on Earth. There is however an area on Titan where alien viruses and bacteria could thrive with some ease: the gigantic ocean believed to be present beneath the frozen surface. On this occasion, Dragonfly will unfortunately not be able to investigate the matter directly. But with a little luck, if some form of life really inhabits the depths of the planet, some chemical signature of its presence could be detectable even on the surface. If so, and if Dragonfly were to manage to find them, the mission would not only be a success, but would likely usher in a long series of visits of our species to Jupiter’s moon.
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