Titan is an extremely difficult object to study because it has a dense atmosphere of nitrogen and methane, the latter forming many organic compounds under the influence of solar radiation. Some of them fall as rain, some remain as clouds, and some form sedimentary rocks. It is suggested that Titan’s surface is an analogue of a swamp with puddles of ‘primordial soup’ that may one day give rise to new life.
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To explore such a world, a device in the form of a multi-rotor drone has been specially created. It is not able to fly, but can make long ‘jumps’, avoiding obstacles and flying over puddles. ‘Dragonfly’ will move between objects of interest to scientists on the surface of Titan and study them with the help of instruments on board. The vehicle has a nuclear propulsion system that operates on the RITEG principle to maximise the duration of the mission.
