/sci/ - Science & Math

>>15849160
> Why so long? Titan’s smog-laden atmosphere extends up to an altitude of over 1,200 kilometers, or 10 times higher than the atmosphere of Mars. At the surface, its density is 4.3 times that of Earth’s, and its atmospheric pressure is 1.4 times higher. And with only one-seventh of Earth’s gravity gently tugging the spacecraft down, the consequence is a very slow descent indeed.
> Once safely on the surface, Dragonfly can begin what its designers hope will be more than three years of science operations at dozens of sites. After landing, the drone will sample the surface material beneath it, analyze its chemistry and beam its data to Earth. But unlike wheeled rovers, it can then start its rotors again and fly off to some very different, and very distant, geological locations — using its cameras to navigate optically, informed by mapping data gleaned from flybys of NASA’s Cassini probe — and do another batch of surface science.