Post-Cassini Exploration of Titan - Science Rationale and Mission Concepts

The likely scientific questions posed by Titan after the upcoming Cassini mission, and the engineering issues associated with the platforms required for these investigations, are reviewed. Landers and balloons satisfy a limited set of scientific objectives; aeroplanes seem largely impractical due to high power requirements or structural challenges. Airships and helicopters appear to be quite feasible, given several advantageous aspects of Titan’s environment, and would satisfy the broadest range of scientific objectives.

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