Dragonfly completes its first Titan flight in a computer simulation
Software for NASA’s Dragonfly mission completed its first Titan flight sequence on a ground computer testbed. Flight-like electronics received simulated sensor data as the rotorcraft selected a safe landing site in virtual terrain. Tests on the actual flight system and deliberate fault trials remain planned. Launch is scheduled no earlier than 2028, with arrival at Titan in 2034.
Science··Midday
A safe landing site was selected in virtual terrain
NASA, the US space agency, completed a simulated first flight for Dragonfly, its rotorcraft mission to Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. SpaceAndSky also described the ground simulation in its account of NASA’s October 23 update. The run used flight-like electronics at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland, United States. In the simulation, the vehicle separated from its protective backshell, crossed dunes while scanning the terrain and selected a safe landing site. It then turned, descended and touched down.[1], [2]
Flight software received simulated data from navigation cameras, inertial measurement units tracking motion and orientation, and lidar, a laser-ranging system. Lidar will measure terrain height and slope and identify potential hazards. Earlier simulations began with a single rotor spinning, then added a short repositioning flight and a partial scouting flight. Sensors and capabilities were introduced at each stage; lidar was the final addition needed for the full first-flight sequence.[1], [2]
Camera views were generated in real time
A custom camera emulator used graphics processors to create Titan terrain views in real time. Each scene was rendered in approximately the 20–70 milliseconds expected for the flight cameras’ exposures. Running the complete sequence on flight-like hardware also exercised millisecond delays as information moved between onboard processes. NASA plans to run the same first-flight sequence on the actual flight system. Other flight profiles and deliberately introduced faults will also be tested. At Titan, the rotorcraft will fly without real-time help from Earth.[1], [2]
The release mechanism is undergoing ground tests
In separate ground testing, US aerospace company Lockheed Martin tested the mechanism that will lower Dragonfly beneath its backshell at its Colorado facility. During descent, the mechanism will position the vehicle so it can start its rotors safely before separation. Static tests with representative mass applied expected loads. Deployment tests examined smooth, rapid lowering and secure locking. Engineers also tested deployment at different tilt angles to represent the backshell swinging beneath its parachute.[1], [2]
The mechanism connects the backshell to an aluminum interface structure attached to the lander. During the real descent, that structure will be lowered with Dragonfly before the vehicle separates and starts powered flight. Launch is scheduled no earlier than 2028, followed by a 6-year voyage and arrival in 2034. NASA’s update describes a planned 3-year surface mission, flying between locations to examine Titan’s chemistry, geology and atmosphere. The mission aims to advance understanding of life’s chemical origins.[1], [2]
