[NASA]. Dragonfly will explore sites of interest around Titan’s equatorial regions and collect samples of surface material for analysis inside DraMS, the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer.
Titan
![Conceptual diagrams of the three experimental setups used to produce the tholin samples measured in this study: (a) UNI/PAC, (b) JHU/PHAZER, (c) ARC/COSmIC featuring a diagram of the pulsed discharge nozzle adapted from Sciamma-O’Brien et al. (2014).-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/A-Cross.png?resize=1200%2C634&ssl=1)
Posted inTitan
A Cross-Laboratory Comparison Study of Titan Haze Analogs: Surface Energy II
[astro-ph.EP] The organic haze particles on Titan play important roles in atmospheric cloud formation and aerosol-lake interactions.
Posted inTitan
Dragonfly Gets Wired Up While Titan Landing Area Is Named
[NASA]. Peeking into the clean room at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, it might be one of the first things you notice about NASA’s Dragonfly: […]
Posted inTitan
Experimental Measurements of Benzene Ice Critical Saturation Ratios on Titan Tholins and Impact on the Microphysical Modeling of Titan’s South Polar Benzene Cloud
[The Planetary Science Journal] The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer revealed the presence of a benzene (C6H6) ice cloud in Titan’s autumn south polar stratosphere following the northern spring equinox in […]
![Schematic diagram (not to scale) of the experimental apparatus used for benzene ice nucleation and growth studies (adapted from Dubois et al. (2021)). Pressure was measured with a capacitance manometer (P1) and an ion gauge (P2). The inset shows a top view of the cooled sample holder with the positions of the three K-type thermocouple gauges (red dots) used for temperature measurements. The ice sample formed on either or both sides of the silicon substrate/tholin sample (grey), which was in the path of the IR beam of the Thermo Fisher iS50. Infrared transmission spectra were collected with a liquid N2-cooled MCT/A detector. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Experimental-Measurements.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inTitan
Experimental Measurements of Benzene Ice Critical Saturation Ratios on Titan Tholins and Impact on the Microphysical Modeling of Titan’s South Polar Benzene Cloud
[astro-ph.EP] The Cassini Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) revealed the presence of a benzene (C6H6) ice cloud in Titan’s autumn south polar stratosphere, following the northern spring equinox in August 2009.
![Retrieved temperature, mixing ratios, and haze parameters from all three retrieval set ups. Left: Retrieved volume mixing ratios for all three retrieval cases shown at the approximate depth of the haze layer. Right: Haze opacity in dashed lines and temperature in solid lines as a function of pressure and altitude. Where available we show the Teanby et al. (2006) mixing ratios and temperature profile. Despite varying assumptions and haze schemes, all retrievals indicate a haze layer in approximately the same pressure location. Note that the POSEIDON haze location is inferred from the pressure contribution functions and is shown as a shaded region. - [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Piercing-through.png?resize=1200%2C710&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Piercing Through The Haze: Characterizing Titan-like Terrestrial Exoplanets With JWST
[astro-ph.EP] As we enter a new era of using JWST to characterize exoplanet atmospheres, a top priority is defining observational needs and parameters in the search for life on an […]
Posted inTitan
Dragonfly Titan Astrobiology Droid Clears Key Tests
The mission reached a major milestone on June 29, when the Dragonfly team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, delivered the nearly 13-foot-long fuselage for […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Sample Return, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Trajectory Design For A Titan-Enceladus Plume Sampling Pseudo-orbiter Mission
The exploration of the Saturnian system, and in particular the plumes and subsurface ocean of Enceladus, has been identified as a key science theme for ESA’s Voyage 2050 program.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Pluto, Status Report, Titan
An Unidentified Absorption Feature At 5.11 μm On The Surface Of Titan And Pluto From JWST Spectroscopy
Titan possesses a thick N2-CH4 atmosphere that makes it difficult to study its surface spectroscopically. The chemical composition of the solid surface of Titan thus remains very uncertain.
Posted inIcy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Life Support Systems, Missions & Hardware, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Status Report, Titan
Titan’s Resources and their Utilization
Saturn’s moon Titan is a unique environment in the solar system. It is the only moon with an atmosphere, composed primarily of the gases N2 and CH4. It is also […]