An advanced mission to this unique satellite of Saturn appropriate to the turn-of-the-century time period is described. The mission concept evolves about one or more buoyant stations (balloons and/or airship) operating at varying altitudes in Titan's atmosphere. An orbiter of Titan provides communications link support and accomplishes remote sensing science objectives. Use of buoyant stations are favored over a fixed site lander for two reasons: (1) adaptable to several possible surface physical states and topographies; and (2) capable of exploring both the atmosphere and surface with regional and possibly global mobility. Auxiliary payload concepts investigated include tethered packages and sounding rockets deployed from the buoyant station, and haze probes and surface penetrators deployed from the orbiter. The paper describes science objectives and payloads, propulsion system/mass delivery trades, balloon design requirements and deployment/motion characteristics, and communications link geometry and data characteristics.
Buoyant station mission comcepts for titan exploration
1985-10-01
Conference paper
No indication
English
Buoyant station mission concepts for Titan exploration
Elsevier | 1986
|NTRS | 1984
|PLANETARY EXPLORATION - Post-Cassini Exploration of Titan: Science Rationale and Mission Concepts
Online Contents | 2000
|IEEE | 2009
|