Titan Has Dense Atmosphere, Earth-like Surface Features

Earth's Moon has no atmosphere, so maneuvering close to the surface requires lots of rocket fuel and complexity. But scientists say Titan, Saturn's largest moon, has a dense atmosphere, and they're ready to try a mature technology to explore it - the airplane.

Dr. Jason W. Barnes of the University of Idaho tells Universe Today, “As far as its scientific interest, Titan is the most interesting target in the Solar System.” He and his team are proposing an unmanned exploration mission called AVIATR, short for Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance, which would make use of a 265 lb. UAV. The proposed budget is $715 million, including the space vehicles needed to deliver the plane.

An obstacle to the mission is the fact it didn't make the cut for the National Research Council’s “Decadal Survey,” which sets policy ten years into the future. Barnes hopes to pitch the idea again in 2020.

While Titan has an atmosphere of mostly nitrogen, and a surface which features lakes filled with liquid methane and ethane, AVIATR would face one issue in common with pilots on Earth. As Universe Today notes, Titan is the only other place in our solar system where rain falls.

FMI: www.ebi.uidaho.edu/documents/2010%2001%2025%20Barnes.pdf?pid=118467&doc=1