What is a main science goal?

Study chemistry related to life's origins

Dragonfly Mission Quiz: NASA's Rotorcraft Headed for Titan

This Dragonfly mission quiz prepares for takeoff on Saturn's hazy moon Titan. Play 10 interactive questions on an eight-rotor drone lander, why Titan's thick air and low gravity make flight easier, a planned launch in 2028, arrival in the 2030s, nuclear power, hopping between sites, studying chemistry that may relate to the origins of life and the lab that built it.

Start Dragonfly Mission Quiz

🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

Target
Which moon will Dragonfly explore?
Type
What kind of spacecraft is Dragonfly?
Rotors
How many rotors does Dragonfly have?
Air
What makes flying on Titan easier than on Earth?
Launch
When is Dragonfly planned to launch?
Arrive
When will it reach Titan?
Power
How will Dragonfly be powered?
Hop
How will it explore different sites?
Goal
What is a main science goal?
Lab
Which lab leads the mission?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which moon will Dragonfly explore?
Answer: Titan
It orbits Saturn.
Q2: What kind of spacecraft is Dragonfly?
Answer: A rotorcraft lander
It will fly like a drone.
Q3: How many rotors does Dragonfly have?
Answer: Eight
They are arranged in pairs.
Q4: What makes flying on Titan easier than on Earth?
Answer: Thick air and low gravity
Lift is easier to generate.
Q5: When is Dragonfly planned to launch?
Answer: In 2028
Plans set a July 2028 window.
Q6: When will it reach Titan?
Answer: In the 2030s
The trip takes years.
Q7: How will Dragonfly be powered?
Answer: By a nuclear power source
Titan's surface is dim.
Q8: How will it explore different sites?
Answer: By flying from place to place
Each flight can cover kilometers.
Q9: What is a main science goal?
Answer: Study chemistry related to life's origins
Titan is rich in organic molecules.
Q10: Which lab leads the mission?
Answer: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
It is part of NASA's New Frontiers program.

A Drone for Saturn's Largest Moon

Dragonfly is a NASA mission to Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Instead of a rover with wheels, it is a rotorcraft lander with eight rotors, flying like a large drone. Titan's thick atmosphere and low gravity make flight easier than on Earth.

The mission, led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory as part of NASA's New Frontiers program, is planned to launch in 2028 and reach Titan in the 2030s. Because Titan's surface is dim, Dragonfly will use a nuclear power source rather than solar panels.

After landing in dune fields, Dragonfly will fly from site to site, covering kilometers in each flight. It will study Titan's organic chemistry, which may reveal steps related to the origins of life, as well as its weather and surface.

What This Quiz Teaches

Space fans will enjoy these questions.

What Dragonfly is
Why it can fly on Titan
When it will launch
How it is powered
What it will study

Did You Know?

Titan has methane rain.
Huygens landed on Titan in 2005.
Titan's air is mostly nitrogen.
Dragonfly will land near Selk crater.
Charging happens between flights.