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From Africa to Alaska, here's how BYU is helping NASA prepare for Dragonfly mission
KSL News • • science
Key Points:
- NASA's Dragonfly mission, launching in 2028, will send a robotic rotorcraft to Titan, Saturn's largest moon, to investigate its potential for harboring life by exploring its Earth-like atmosphere and landscapes.
- Researchers from Brigham Young University are studying Earth's dune landscapes, particularly in Namibia and Alaska, as analogs to Titan's terrain to help NASA plan Dragonfly's landing sites and data collection.
- The BYU team is focusing on interdune areas where Dragonfly is expected to land, using ground-penetrating radar to identify subsurface water pockets that could indicate astrobiological potential.
- Titan's dense atmosphere and stable surface liquids make it a prime candidate for studying habitability beyond Earth, with the Dragonfly mission set to conduct multiple flights over a 3.3-year period.
- The collaboration provides valuable hands-on experience for BYU students, involving them directly in cutting-edge space exploration and research with NASA.
