Destiny: A Journey of Resilience

In September 2017, after making many fascinating discoveries, the Cassini spacecraft plunged into Saturn’s atmosphere, never to be heard from again. However, Cassini’s legacy lives on, as its discoveries are still studied by the scientific community, particularly the research it conducted on Saturn’s many moons. Saturn’s fifth largest moon, Tethys, is composed largely of water-ice. During a Cassini flyby in 2015, mysterious red arcs were spotted on the moon’s surface, their origin unknown. Similar features have been observed on Jupiter’s moon Europa, which could potentially host life, hinting at some connection between the two moons. To investigate this mystery, my flyby spacecraft, named Destiny, will attempt to understand the origin and composition of these arcs using a spectrometer and camera system operating in the visible to infrared ranges. Comparing this data with similar figures from Europa could reveal a relationship between the two moons. Like Cassini, Destiny will use gravity assists of Venus, Earth, and Jupiter to reach Saturn in 7 years. To survive in the dark environment near Tethys where solar illumination is 1/100th that on Earth, Destiny will use an MMRTG, a type of RPS, as an efficient and durable power source. Like RPS, I strive to be resilient, regardless of what challenges come my way. For any space mission, resilience is key, as challenges are bound to arise. My perseverance will help me devise creative solutions to these obstacles, leading Destiny through a successful mission. After all, resilience evokes the power to explore.