With future space exploration in mind, a Cornell-led team of astronomers has published the final maps of Titan's liquid methane rivers and tributaries—as seen by NASA's late Cassini mission—so that may help provide context for Dragonfly's upcoming 2030s expedition.

The fluvial maps and details of their accuracy were published in the Planetary Science Journal. In addition to the maps, the work examined what could be learned by analyzing Earth's rivers by using degraded radar data—similar to what Cassini saw.

Like water on Earth, liquid methane and ethane fill Titan's lakes, rivers and streams. But understanding those channels—including their twists and branch-like turns—is key to knowing how that moon's sediment transport system works and the underlying geology.

"The channel systems are the heart of Titan's sediment transport pathways," said Alex Hayes, associate professor of astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences.

The idea of avoiding asteroid impacts has featured prominently in the public's mind for decades—especially since the release of movies such as Deep Impact and Armageddon. But is using a nuclear explosion the best way to deal with potentially hazardous space rocks? Decidedly not. If given enough time, there is a much more effective (and safer) way to deal with any object on a collision course with Earth—a gravity tractor. Now, Dr. Yohannes Ketema from the University of Minnesota has developed a flight pattern that makes this simplest of all asteroid defense mechanisms that much more effective.

Gravity tractors have been around for a while. They use the gravity of an artificial body to pull an object toward it and slightly change its trajectory. Over long periods, this would pull the hazardous object out of the current trajectory into a safer one. It also has the advantage of not requiring any direct impact or explosion on the surface of the asteroid itself.