Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

Sébastien Rodriguez; Sandrine Vinatier; Daniel Cordier; Gabriel Tobie; Richard K. Achterberg; Carrie M. Anderson; Sarah V. Badman; Jason W. Barnes; Erika L. Barth; Bruno Bézard; Nathalie Carrasco; Benjamin Charnay; Roger N. Clark; Patrice Coll; Thomas Cornet; Athena Coustenis; Isabelle Couturier-Tamburelli; Michel Dobrijevic; F. Michael Flasar; Remco de Kok; Caroline Freissinet; Marina Galand; Thomas Gautier; Wolf D. Geppert; Caitlin A. Griffith; Murthy S. Gudipati; Lina Z. Hadid; Alexander G. Hayes; Amanda R. Hendrix; Ralf Jaumann; Donald E. Jennings; Antoine Jolly; Klara Kalousova; Tommi T. Koskinen; Panayotis Lavvas; Sébastien Lebonnois; Jean Pierre Lebreton; Alice Le Gall; Emmanuel Lellouch; Stéphane Le Mouélic; Rosaly M.C. Lopes; Juan M. Lora; Ralph D. Lorenz; Antoine Lucas; Shannon MacKenzie; Michael J. Malaska; Kathleen Mandt; Marco Mastrogiuseppe; Claire E. Newman; Conor A. Nixon; Jani Radebaugh; Scot C. Rafkin; Pascal Rannou; Ella M. Sciamma-O’Brien; Jason M. Soderblom; Anezina Solomonidou; Christophe Sotin; Katrin Stephan; Darrell Strobel; Cyril Szopa; Nicholas A. Teanby; Elizabeth P. Turtle; Véronique Vuitton; Robert A. West

doi:10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8

Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

Sébastien Rodriguez, Sandrine Vinatier, Daniel Cordier, Gabriel Tobie, Richard K. Achterberg, Carrie M. Anderson, Sarah V. Badman, Jason W. Barnes, Erika L. Barth, Bruno Bézard, Nathalie Carrasco, Benjamin Charnay, Roger N. Clark, Patrice Coll, Thomas Cornet, Athena Coustenis, Isabelle Couturier-Tamburelli, Michel Dobrijevic, F. Michael Flasar, Remco de KokCaroline Freissinet, Marina Galand, Thomas Gautier, Wolf D. Geppert, Caitlin A. Griffith, Murthy S. Gudipati, Lina Z. Hadid, Alexander G. Hayes, Amanda R. Hendrix, Ralf Jaumann, Donald E. Jennings, Antoine Jolly, Klara Kalousova, Tommi T. Koskinen, Panayotis Lavvas, Sébastien Lebonnois, Jean Pierre Lebreton, Alice Le Gall, Emmanuel Lellouch, Stéphane Le Mouélic, Rosaly M.C. Lopes, Juan M. Lora, Ralph D. Lorenz, Antoine Lucas, Shannon MacKenzie, Michael J. Malaska, Kathleen Mandt, Marco Mastrogiuseppe, Claire E. Newman, Conor A. Nixon, Jani Radebaugh, Scot C. Rafkin, Pascal Rannou, Ella M. Sciamma-O’Brien, Jason M. Soderblom, Anezina Solomonidou, Christophe Sotin, Katrin Stephan, Darrell Strobel, Cyril Szopa, Nicholas A. Teanby, Elizabeth P. Turtle, Véronique Vuitton, Robert A. West

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

19 Scopus citations

Abstract

In response to ESA’s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan’s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan’s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan’s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	911-973
Number of pages	63
Journal	Experimental Astronomy
Volume	54
Issue number	2-3
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8
State	Published - Dec 2022

Keywords

Atmosphere
Drones
Geology
Habitability
Lake lander
Orbiter
Titan

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

Access to Document

10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8

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Rodriguez, S., Vinatier, S., Cordier, D., Tobie, G., Achterberg, R. K., Anderson, C. M., Badman, S. V., Barnes, J. W., Barth, E. L., Bézard, B., Carrasco, N., Charnay, B., Clark, R. N., Coll, P., Cornet, T., Coustenis, A., Couturier-Tamburelli, I., Dobrijevic, M., Flasar, F. M., ... West, R. A. (2022). Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON). Experimental Astronomy, 54(2-3), 911-973. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8

Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON). / Rodriguez, Sébastien; Vinatier, Sandrine; Cordier, Daniel et al.
In: Experimental Astronomy, Vol. 54, No. 2-3, 12.2022, p. 911-973.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Rodriguez, S, Vinatier, S, Cordier, D, Tobie, G, Achterberg, RK, Anderson, CM, Badman, SV, Barnes, JW, Barth, EL, Bézard, B, Carrasco, N, Charnay, B, Clark, RN, Coll, P, Cornet, T, Coustenis, A, Couturier-Tamburelli, I, Dobrijevic, M, Flasar, FM, de Kok, R, Freissinet, C, Galand, M, Gautier, T, Geppert, WD, Griffith, CA, Gudipati, MS, Hadid, LZ, Hayes, AG, Hendrix, AR, Jaumann, R, Jennings, DE, Jolly, A, Kalousova, K, Koskinen, TT, Lavvas, P, Lebonnois, S, Lebreton, JP, Le Gall, A, Lellouch, E, Le Mouélic, S, Lopes, RMC, Lora, JM, Lorenz, RD, Lucas, A, MacKenzie, S, Malaska, MJ, Mandt, K, Mastrogiuseppe, M, Newman, CE, Nixon, CA, Radebaugh, J, Rafkin, SC, Rannou, P, Sciamma-O’Brien, EM, Soderblom, JM, Solomonidou, A, Sotin, C, Stephan, K, Strobel, D, Szopa, C, Teanby, NA, Turtle, EP, Vuitton, V & West, RA 2022, 'Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)', Experimental Astronomy, vol. 54, no. 2-3, pp. 911-973. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8

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abstract = "In response to ESA{\textquoteright}s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn{\textquoteright}s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan{\textquoteright}s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan{\textquoteright}s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan{\textquoteright}s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.",

keywords = "Atmosphere, Drones, Geology, Habitability, Lake lander, Orbiter, Titan",

author = "S{\'e}bastien Rodriguez and Sandrine Vinatier and Daniel Cordier and Gabriel Tobie and Achterberg, {Richard K.} and Anderson, {Carrie M.} and Badman, {Sarah V.} and Barnes, {Jason W.} and Barth, {Erika L.} and Bruno B{\'e}zard and Nathalie Carrasco and Benjamin Charnay and Clark, {Roger N.} and Patrice Coll and Thomas Cornet and Athena Coustenis and Isabelle Couturier-Tamburelli and Michel Dobrijevic and Flasar, {F. Michael} and {de Kok}, Remco and Caroline Freissinet and Marina Galand and Thomas Gautier and Geppert, {Wolf D.} and Griffith, {Caitlin A.} and Gudipati, {Murthy S.} and Hadid, {Lina Z.} and Hayes, {Alexander G.} and Hendrix, {Amanda R.} and Ralf Jaumann and Jennings, {Donald E.} and Antoine Jolly and Klara Kalousova and Koskinen, {Tommi T.} and Panayotis Lavvas and S{\'e}bastien Lebonnois and Lebreton, {Jean Pierre} and {Le Gall}, Alice and Emmanuel Lellouch and {Le Mou{\'e}lic}, St{\'e}phane and Lopes, {Rosaly M.C.} and Lora, {Juan M.} and Lorenz, {Ralph D.} and Antoine Lucas and Shannon MacKenzie and Malaska, {Michael J.} and Kathleen Mandt and Marco Mastrogiuseppe and Newman, {Claire E.} and Nixon, {Conor A.} and Jani Radebaugh and Rafkin, {Scot C.} and Pascal Rannou and Sciamma-O{\textquoteright}Brien, {Ella M.} and Soderblom, {Jason M.} and Anezina Solomonidou and Christophe Sotin and Katrin Stephan and Darrell Strobel and Cyril Szopa and Teanby, {Nicholas A.} and Turtle, {Elizabeth P.} and V{\'e}ronique Vuitton and West, {Robert A.}",

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year = "2022",

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doi = "10.1007/s10686-021-09815-8",

language = "English (US)",

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T1 - Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability

T2 - titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

AU - Rodriguez, Sébastien

AU - Vinatier, Sandrine

AU - Cordier, Daniel

AU - Tobie, Gabriel

AU - Achterberg, Richard K.

AU - Anderson, Carrie M.

AU - Badman, Sarah V.

AU - Barnes, Jason W.

AU - Barth, Erika L.

AU - Bézard, Bruno

AU - Carrasco, Nathalie

AU - Charnay, Benjamin

AU - Clark, Roger N.

AU - Coll, Patrice

AU - Cornet, Thomas

AU - Coustenis, Athena

AU - Couturier-Tamburelli, Isabelle

AU - Dobrijevic, Michel

AU - Flasar, F. Michael

AU - de Kok, Remco

AU - Freissinet, Caroline

AU - Galand, Marina

AU - Gautier, Thomas

AU - Geppert, Wolf D.

AU - Griffith, Caitlin A.

AU - Gudipati, Murthy S.

AU - Hadid, Lina Z.

AU - Hayes, Alexander G.

AU - Hendrix, Amanda R.

AU - Jaumann, Ralf

AU - Jennings, Donald E.

AU - Jolly, Antoine

AU - Kalousova, Klara

AU - Koskinen, Tommi T.

AU - Lavvas, Panayotis

AU - Lebonnois, Sébastien

AU - Lebreton, Jean Pierre

AU - Le Gall, Alice

AU - Lellouch, Emmanuel

AU - Le Mouélic, Stéphane

AU - Lopes, Rosaly M.C.

AU - Lora, Juan M.

AU - Lorenz, Ralph D.

AU - Lucas, Antoine

AU - MacKenzie, Shannon

AU - Malaska, Michael J.

AU - Mandt, Kathleen

AU - Mastrogiuseppe, Marco

AU - Newman, Claire E.

AU - Nixon, Conor A.

AU - Radebaugh, Jani

AU - Rafkin, Scot C.

AU - Rannou, Pascal

AU - Sciamma-O’Brien, Ella M.

AU - Soderblom, Jason M.

AU - Solomonidou, Anezina

AU - Sotin, Christophe

AU - Stephan, Katrin

AU - Strobel, Darrell

AU - Szopa, Cyril

AU - Teanby, Nicholas A.

AU - Turtle, Elizabeth P.

AU - Vuitton, Véronique

AU - West, Robert A.

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N2 - In response to ESA’s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan’s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan’s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan’s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.

AB - In response to ESA’s “Voyage 2050” announcement of opportunity, we propose an ambitious L-class mission to explore one of the most exciting bodies in the Solar System, Saturn’s largest moon Titan. Titan, a “world with two oceans”, is an organic-rich body with interior-surface-atmosphere interactions that are comparable in complexity to the Earth. Titan is also one of the few places in the Solar System with habitability potential. Titan’s remarkable nature was only partly revealed by the Cassini-Huygens mission and still holds mysteries requiring a complete exploration using a variety of vehicles and instruments. The proposed mission concept POSEIDON (Titan POlar Scout/orbitEr and In situ lake lander DrONe explorer) would perform joint orbital and in situ investigations of Titan. It is designed to build on and exceed the scope and scientific/technological accomplishments of Cassini-Huygens, exploring Titan in ways that were not previously possible, in particular through full close-up and in situ coverage over long periods of time. In the proposed mission architecture, POSEIDON consists of two major elements: a spacecraft with a large set of instruments that would orbit Titan, preferably in a low-eccentricity polar orbit, and a suite of in situ investigation components, i.e. a lake lander, a “heavy” drone (possibly amphibious) and/or a fleet of mini-drones, dedicated to the exploration of the polar regions. The ideal arrival time at Titan would be slightly before the next northern Spring equinox (2039), as equinoxes are the most active periods to monitor still largely unknown atmospheric and surface seasonal changes. The exploration of Titan’s northern latitudes with an orbiter and in situ element(s) would be highly complementary in terms of timing (with possible mission timing overlap), locations, and science goals with the upcoming NASA New Frontiers Dragonfly mission that will provide in situ exploration of Titan’s equatorial regions, in the mid-2030s.

KW - Atmosphere

KW - Drones

KW - Geology

KW - Habitability

KW - Lake lander

KW - Orbiter

KW - Titan

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Science goals and new mission concepts for future exploration of Titan’s atmosphere, geology and habitability: titan POlar scout/orbitEr and in situ lake lander and DrONe explorer (POSEIDON)

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