Science Illustrated

Titan rotocraft to search for proof of LIFE ON SATURN’S ICE MOON

LIFE FORMS MIGHT EXIST IN UNDERGROUND OCEAN

100km below Titan’s surface is an ocean of liquid water where organic material from the surface may be able to mix with the water to produce monocellular organisms also known as protozoans.

Adrone with eight rotors ploughs its way through Titan’s dense atmosphere. Beneath it is a deserted landscape veiled in an orange haze. The drone follows a mountain range before descending to land in a dry river bed. After landing, two drills dart out from the landing gear, burrowing into the soil and returning with samples for scanning. And the analysis of the near-surface samples reveals what all astronomers have long been awaiting: an alien life-form.

That is the dream scenario for 2034 and for the drone called Dragonfly, which NASA plans to launch towards Saturn’s Titan moon in

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Science Illustrated

Science Illustrated1 min read
3 Things YOU Can Do
→ If you’re truly storm-phobic, you could consider living somewhere with fewer of them. In Australia, quiet spots include South Australia, Perth and further south in WA, even Tasmania; these areas are certainly not storm-free, but have fewer and less
Science Illustrated1 min read
Is It Dangerous To Get Pregnant In Space?
HUMANS Space tourism today is only for rich adventurers willing to pay large sums of money for a few minutes, hours or days in a state of weightlessness. But in the coming years, it is expected that prices will fall, tourist numbers will rise, and st
Science Illustrated1 min readChemistry
Green Cycle Could Burn Iron Over And Over Again
1 Iron has the chemical formula Fe and can replace coal in a power plant in the form of a powder made from old scrap metal. The iron powder burns at temperatures of around 1800°C. 2 When something burns, it is fuelled by oxygen (O2 ). The burning of

Related Books & Audiobooks