NASA Funds Spherical Flying Robots to Explore Caves on Saturn's Moon Titan

A NASA-Funded Project Could Send Swarms of Aerobots to Explore the Underground Caves of Titan

The ion-powered robots would be able to access the methane-carved caves of Saturn's largest moon.

NASA funds ion-powered flying drones to explore Saturn's largest moon

NASA is funding an ambitious new concept that could send swarms of tiny, silent, spherical “aerobots” floating through the eerie underground caves of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.   The project is called SPARK or Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst. Led by Daniel Drew, an assistant professor at the University of Hawaii at Mānoa, SPARK uses electrohydrodynamic (EHD) propulsion, commonly known as atmospheric ion thrusters…

Nasa-backed SPARK project could send tiny ‘aerobots’ into caves on Saturn’s moon Titan

Science News: Nasa has backed a new concept that could send small flying robots into caves on Saturn’s moon Titan. The project, called SPARK, proposes lightweight v.

NASA is preparing spherical robots to explore the caves of Titan

NASA funds SPARK, flying robots with ion propulsion that could explore the caves of Titan, Saturn's moon

Mission SPARK: Will tiny aerobots explore Saturn’s largest moon, "Titan"? Here’s what NASA has planned

NASA has funded an early-stage concept for spherical flying robots that could explore the hidden caves of Saturn’s moon Titan. Called SPARK Aerobots, the vehicles would use near-silent ion propulsion to navigate difficult underground terrain.

NASA funds spherical 'Aerobots' that could explore the caves of Saturn's moon Titan

Spherical "Aerobots" may one day swarm the caves of Titan — a moon of Saturn that NASA says is one of the most Earthlike in our solar system.Titan is covered in rivers, lakes and seas of hydrocarbons, like methane and ethane, as well as a strange "karst" terrain including underground sinkholes and caves. No rover could easily traverse this surface, but flying vehicles may have more success.So a new grant, under the early-stage NASA Innovative Ad…