NASA already tests the rotors to fly on the moon Titan

Dec. 21 () –

A key component of 8-rotor Dragonfly vehicle to be launched in 2027 bound for Titan has already been tested in the Transonic Dynamic Tunnel (TDT) from the NASA Langley Center.

The drone-like Dragonfly will traverse the dense, nitrogen-rich atmosphere of Saturn’s largest moon to land, take samples and survey various locations. Dragonfly will have four pairs of rotors, each with two rotors in a coaxial configuration, meaning one rotor on top of the other. It is similar to a typical ground drone, but much larger, as the vehicle measures more than 3.5 meters from tip to tail and, at the widest points, from tip to tip of the rotor.

Researchers at Langley and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) conducted a series of tests with a coaxial pair of rotors on the TDT to validate computer models. The large test section allowed the use of equipment representative of full-scale flights, and the possibility of filling the tunnel with heavy gas. allowed the teams to be tested with aerodynamic loads representative of Titan.

The researchers simulated expected hover, descent, and climb conditions, and evaluated the aerodynamic loads on each rotor at different wind speeds, rotor axis angles, and rotor throttle settings. The researchers also tested with one rotor running and the other stopped to assess failure modes.

The test article’s sensors and accelerometers measured the loads and accelerations created by each rotor at various wind speeds, orientations, and rotor speeds. Preliminary analysis of the data indicates that the CFD predictions of rotor performance and power requirements are valid, and that similar predictions for operation on Titan are within the tolerances anticipated for the mission.

“Testing at this one-of-a-kind facility was a crucial first step in bringing this exciting mission to a successful conclusion,” he said. it’s a statement Richard Heisler, head of wind tunnel testing for Dragonfly at APL, which is designing and building the helicopter and managing the mission for NASA. “The data we collected on TDT will give us a much clearer picture of how we can expect Dragonfly’s rotors to behave in Titan’s extraterrestrial atmosphere.”

Dragonfly is scheduled to launch in 2027 and arrive on Titan in 2034, when it will begin what is expected to be a 3-year mission to explore and shed light on the complex chemistry in the exotic lunar and ocean world.