Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
TWA772LR wrote:I don't think a helicopter is the best vehicle to travel to Titan
I love the Venus stuff. This is going to be a very interesting couple decades for space exploration. I'm looking forward to it.
And I was actually wondering if there will ever be a mission to collect and send back a sample of Mars.
ssteve wrote:*to* Titan was a joke, I'm pretty sure. *on* titan the octocopter will be totally awesome.
kitplane01 wrote:Where does one get electricity on Titan. The solar density is super super low, and carrying around a bunch of solar cells has to cost weight and aerodynamics.
Avatar2go wrote:kitplane01 wrote:Where does one get electricity on Titan. The solar density is super super low, and carrying around a bunch of solar cells has to cost weight and aerodynamics.
NASA is giving up one of its precious RTG's for the Dragonfly mission. It will charge a battery pack over time, which then is used for brief powered flights.
kitplane01 wrote:I understand they will use the TGS, but not make any more. What's the advantage of this position over the (1) trash them they are too scary to have aroud or (2) we can make abombs, seems we could make more of these too?
Avatar2go wrote:The NASA RTG's themselves are not that scary, book & movie plots aside. Their radiation requires minimal shielding and will not penetrate skin. Only really dangerous if ingested. That's why NASA is willing to wait for the Pu-238, all other fuel isotopes are far more dangerous and problematic in handling.