"Exploring Neptune's Orbit: The Potential of its Largest Moon"

Researchers have proposed a radical new idea for a future Neptune orbiter mission by using the thin atmosphere of Triton, Neptune's largest moon, to capture a spacecraft. By employing an aeroshell similar to the one used in NASA's Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID), the researchers suggest that the atmosphere of Triton could sufficiently slow a spacecraft and allow it to enter into a captured orbit around Neptune. This approach could potentially reduce the mission duration to as little as 15 years and provide an up-close view of Triton, delivering valuable scientific insights.