The plane built to soar above the clouds - on Saturn's mysterious moon Titan



Plutonium-powered craft weighs just 120kg



Moon bigger than ours - and bigger than Mercury

$715m project would take 3D photos of surace

The Aviatr plane looks like the drones that fly over Afghanistan - but the $715 million vehicle is designed to fly over Saturn's largest moon, Titan, a body that has fascinated scientists because of its thick, cloudy atmosphere.

The Aviatr probe is built to take 3D photos of the surface, to help scientists build up a picture of the planet's geology.

At the end of its mission, the 120kg aircraft would dive down to the surface and attempt a landing on Titan's dunes.

The $715 million Aviatr probe is an unmanned UAV similar to the probes used over Afghanistan - and the 120kg aircraft would be uniquely well suited to life soaring through the thick atmosphere of Titan

The probe would be equipped with a horizon imaging camera - and would roll in flight to capture full images of cloud banks floating above the planet

Scientists believe that Titan is uniquely suited for heavier-than-air craft - the moon's gravity is relatively low, but its atmosphere is thick, which would mean that a heavier than air craft such as Aviatr could stay airborne for longer.

The moon is thickly shrouded in clouds, and scientists are intrigued about what lies beneath.

Unlike a balloon - the rival method proposed for missions to Titan - Aviatr would allow scientists to precisely control its altitude, and build up a library of 3D images of the surface and Titan's weather.

Titan is bigger than our own Moon and even the planet Mercury. The temperature at Titan's surface is about -178 178 degrees centigrade.





The $715m price tag for the mission includes the aircraft plus a rocket and lander to deposit it on the surface of Titan

The project did not make Nasa's most recent round of funding, but Barnes and his colleagues maintain that a heavier than air aircraft is the most realistic method of exploring Titan

The 120kg aircraft will be powered by a generator which creates heat from plutonium-238. When it's sending data back to earth, the aircraft will go into a glide to conserve power

The Aviatr would be much nimbler than a balloon, and would use its plutonium-powered generator to stay on the 'day' side of Titan to make the most of its photographing time.

It would go into a glide to save power whenever it was sending images 'back home.' Like earthly aircraft, it would have a 'safe mode' where it would remain steady in Titan's atmosphere when necessary - ensuring it didn't come to harm if its communication link broke.

Aviatr would be just 120kg - in Titan's atmosphere, it would be able to glide for long periods









Jason Barnes, a scientist at a University of Idaho designed the concept with a team of 30.

Aviatr did not make Nasa's last round of funding - although the $715m price tag includes a delivery system to get it to Titan.

Barnes remains hopeful that interest in Aviatr is high, and that he can make the next round of funding.



He is insistent that a heavier-than-air craft is the best way to explore the thick atmosphere of Titan - and that a balloon would not do the job.