NASA to deploy life-hunting drone to explore Saturn’s moon

NASA plans to explore Saturn’s moon Titan, by sending a drone that can fly through the icy world’s skies to search for signs of alien life.

Instead of using a land-based rover, the upcoming Dragonfly mission will leverage a “rotorcraft,” which can takeoff, fly and land.

The goal is to send the nuclear-powered drone to investigate dozens of locations across Titan, which scientists have long theorized may harbor an environment to sustain organic life.

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“Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a multi-rotor vehicle for science on another planet,” the space agency said in Thursday’s announcement. The machine will have eight rotor propellers, which will allow it to maneuver like a drone.

According to NASA, the craft should also be easier to fly on Titan because the moon has a denser nitrogen-based atmosphere and less gravity than the Earth.

However, the machine will have to endure the icy world’s minus 290 Fahrenheit temperatures and methane-based rain to search for any signs of alien life in and around Saturn.

 

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