Year: 2021
Type: article
Abstract: The factors contributing to the initial selection of a dune site near the Selk impact structure on Titan as the first landing site for the Dragonfly mission are described. These include arrival geometry and aerodynamic/aerothermodynamic considerations, illumination, and Earth visibility, as well as the likely presence of exposed deposits of water-rich material, potentially including materials where molten ice has interacted with organics. Cassini observations of Selk are summarized and interpreted: near-infrared reflectance and microwave emission data indicate water-rich materials in and around the crater. Radar topography data shows the rim of Selk to have slopes on multi-km scales reaching only ∼2° degrees, an order of magnitude shallower than early photoclinometric estimates.
Source: The Planetary Science Journal
DOI: 10.3847/psj/abd08f
Institutions: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Western University, Planetary Science Institute, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, Université Paris-Saclay, Sorbonne Université, Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, University of Idaho, Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Arizona
Language: English
Topic: Astro and Planetary Science
Subfield: Space and Planetary Science
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,800
OpenAlex ID: W3127634201