Triton Will Get Visitors Soon, and We Saw That Coming

Scientists are preparing a new possible mission that’s called Trident. It has its aim to explore the moon of Neptune, called Triton, which is kind of a mystery among scientists. 

The largest moon of Neptune, Triton, has on its surface a weird icy mixture. Many other unique characteristics could help scientists understand more about the bodies in the solar system and how they evolved. Trident is actually one of a total of four mission concepts, which take part in NASA’s Discovery program. 

The goal of the mission

This Trident mission has its goal to visit Triton and study the surface of the moon in detail. The mission has been named this way because of the three-pronged approach when it comes to solving Triton’s mysteries, inspired by the spear which was carried by the ancient Roman sea god Neptune. 

According to Louise Prockter, who is the director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute of the Universities Space Research Association, stated that “Triton has always been one of the most exciting and intriguing bodies in the solar system. I’ve always loved the Voyager 2 images and their tantalizing glimpses of this bizarre, crazy moon that no one understands.” 

Why we are still in the dark

The Voyager 2 spacecraft was launched back in 1977, with the aim of studying the planets from the outer system. It is the only spacecraft that has even flown past Neptune, which is, as we all know, the most distant planet in the solar system. The mission was able to capture for us amazing views of the planet and all of its moons, but that doesn’t mean that we have the answer to everything. Trident might be Voyager 2’s first successor to get to Neptune.  

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