Posted on 09/26/2020 4:49:24 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Dragonfly is a NASA mission that delivers a rotorcraft to Saturn’s moon Titan to advance our search for the building blocks of life. While Dragonfly was originally scheduled to launch in 2026, NASA has requested the Dragonfly team pursue their alternative launch readiness date in 2027. No changes will be needed to the mission architecture to accommodate this new date, and launching at a later date will not affect Dragonfly’s science return or capabilities once at Titan.
The decision to pursue the alternative launch date is based on factors external to the Dragonfly project team, including COVID-19’s impact on the Planetary Science Division’s budget.
“NASA has the utmost confidence in the Dragonfly team to deliver a successful mission that conducts compelling science,” said Lori Glaze, Director for the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Dragonfly will significantly increase our understanding of this richly organic world and help answer key astrobiology questions in our search to understand the processes that supported the development of life on Earth.”
Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a multi-rotor vehicle for science on another planet. Taking advantage of Titan’s dense atmosphere – four times denser than Earth’s – it will also become the first vehicle ever to fly its entire science payload to multiple locations for repeatable and targeted access to surface materials. By surveying dozens of locations across the icy world, Dragonfly will characterize the habitability of Titan’s environment and investigate the progression of its prebiotic chemistry.
“the building blocks of life” A lame excuse to keep scientists in the government employed.
There is much rich organic material on Earth with which to investigate the process that supported the development of life on Earth.
Science has no (zero) understanding of life. No clue whatsoever. By reason life could not arise spontaneously. As far as science can tell life is magic. But... but... go to Saturn, then it will make sense.
Just love this terminology. Don't you all love that scientists even find some chemical compounds that could create life and they all go nuts. But a mass of tissue with a heartbeat is not a life, but a mass of tissue.
Mark Watney is screwed now...
Amazing how NASS-uh wastes money on looking for the building blocks of life with the same scientists that can’t tell you when life begins in the womb.
Good point. And we can predict with 100% certainty what “global warming” will do in 50 years but not the weather next week.
How many in private enterprise could fly a mission to any of the planets with multiple probes in 7 years and do so cheaper?
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