Concept for A Mission to Titan, Saturn System and Enceladus

Details Concept for A Mission to Titan, Saturn System and Enceladus Concept for A Mission to Titan, Saturn System and Enceladus

Sep 2008

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008dps....40.3207b&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #32.07; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.452

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

Scientific paper

A mission to Titan is a high priority for exploration, as recommended by the 2003 NRC report on New Frontiers in the Solar System (Decadal Survey).
As anticipated by the NRC subcommittee, recent Cassini-Huygens discoveries have revolutionized our understanding of Titan and its potential for harbouring "ingredients” necessary for life. These discoveries reveal that Titan is rich in organics, possibly contains a vast subsurface ocean and has energy sources to drive chemical evolution. With these recent discoveries, interest in Titan as the next scientific target in the outer Solar System is strongly reinforced.
Cassini's discovery of active geysers on Enceladus adds a second target in the Saturn system for such a mission, one that is synergistic with Titan in understanding planetary evolution and in adding a potential abode in the Saturn system for life.
The TSSM concept would consist of a NASA provided orbiter with ESA provided Lander and Montgolfiere Balloon. The mission would launch on an Atlas 551 in 2018-2020, and travel to Saturn on a gravity assist trajectory, reaching Saturn 8.5 years later. The SEP stage would be released and the main engine would place the flight system into orbit around Saturn for a 2 year tour. During the first Titan flyby the in situ elements would be released to target a polar lake and mid-latitude region respectively.
During the tour phase, TSSM would accomplish Saturn system and Enceladus science. Following the tour, the spacecraft would enter into an elliptical Titan orbit and perform extensive aerosampling while aerobraking in Titan's atmosphere. The spacecraft would execute a final periapsis raise burn to achieve a 1500 km circular, 85º polar orbit.
This work was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under contract to NASA.

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