NASA’s Dragonfly rotorcraft, a nuclear-powered drone, is currently undergoing testing in preparation for its mission on Saturn’s moon, Titan. The car-sized aerial vehicle aims to search for potential signs of life on Titan by studying its complex chemistry. Equipped with cameras, sensors, and samplers, Dragonfly will investigate areas of the moon known to contain organic materials and where liquid water may have existed beneath its icy surface.
However, before Dragonfly can take flight, NASA needs to ensure that it can withstand the unique environment of Titan. To achieve this, the Dragonfly team has conducted numerous tests at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, including operating the drone’s rotors in a wind tunnel that simulates the atmospheric conditions on Titan.
The team has completed four Dragonfly test campaigns, two in a subsonic tunnel and two in a Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT). The subsonic tunnel is used to validate fluid dynamic models, while the TDT replicates the atmospheric conditions Dragonfly will likely encounter on Titan. The most recent testing was conducted in June using a half-scale Dragonfly model, which underwent hundreds of test runs to assess the aerodynamic performance of the vehicle.
Bernadine Juliano, APL’s test lead for the project, explained that over 700 total runs were conducted, resulting in over 4,000 individual data points. The objectives of the tests were successfully accomplished, and the data collected will help increase confidence in the simulation models before extrapolating to Titan conditions.
Analyzing this extensive data involves collaboration between specialists from various institutions, including the University of Central Florida and NASA Ames Research Center. Rick Heisler from APL emphasized the value of the tests in understanding Dragonfly’s rotor performance in Titan’s unique atmosphere. The TDT’s heavy gas environment, with a density three-and-a-half times higher than air, allows for better replication of the lift and dynamic loading the actual lander will experience.
As the mission progresses, the Dragonfly team is becoming increasingly aware of the enormity of the task and the historic nature of the mission. Ken Hibbard, Dragonfly mission systems engineer at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), expressed excitement for every step towards sending this revolutionary rotorcraft across Titan’s skies and surface.
“With Dragonfly, we’re turning science fiction into exploration fact,” said Hibbard. The team is eagerly working to piece together the mission and looks forward to the groundbreaking exploration that Dragonfly will undertake on Titan.