Physics
Scientific paper
Apr 2010
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2010ttt..work...31m&link_type=abstract
Through Time; A Workshop On Titan's Past, Present and Future, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, April 6th - 8th, 2010. Edited b
Physics
Scientific paper
This poster describes the scientific, engineering, and operations planning for a Discovery / New Frontiers class Titan airplane mission, AVIATR (Aerial Vehicle for In-situ and Airborne Titan Reconnaissance). The mission would focus on Titan's surface and atmospheric diversity, using high-resolution imaging, near-infrared spectroscopy, a haze spectrometer, and atmospheric structure measurements. Previous mission studies have elected to use hot-air balloons to achieve similar science goals. These hot-air balloon concepts require the waste heat from inefficient thermocouple-based Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) for buoyancy. New Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generators (ASRGs) are much more efficient than RTGs both in terms of power produced per gram of plutonium-238 and the total watts-per-kilogram of the power unit itself. However, they are so efficient that they are much less effective for use in heating a hot-air balloon. Similarly, old-style RTGs produce insufficient specific power for heavier-than-air flight, but the use of 2 ASRGs can support a 120 kg airplane for a long-duration mission at Titan. The AVIATR airplane concept has several advantages in its science capabilities relative to a balloon, including the ability to target any site of interest, remaining on the dayside, stereo and repeat coverage, and easy altitude changes. It also possesses engineering advantages over a balloon like low total mass, a more straightforward deployment sequence, direct-to-Earth communications capability, and a more robust airframe.
Atkinson David
Barnes Jason W.
Beyer Ross A.
Flasar Michael F.
Lemke Lawrence
No associations
LandOfFree
Titan's atmosphere and surface in 2026: the AVIATR Titan Airplane Mission does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.
If you have personal experience with Titan's atmosphere and surface in 2026: the AVIATR Titan Airplane Mission, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Titan's atmosphere and surface in 2026: the AVIATR Titan Airplane Mission will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1191400