Neptune’s weird moon Triton to get visit from NASA spacecraft

A possible new mission called Trident aims to explore Neptune’s strange moon Triton. As Neptune’s largest moon, Triton boasts an uncommon icy mixture on its surface, as well as other unique characteristics that could help scientists learn more about how bodies in the Solar System evolved. Trident is one of four mission concepts competing in the current round of NASA’s Discovery program, which develops relatively lowcost robotic-exploration efforts.

The proposed Trident mission – named for its three-pronged approach to solving Triton’s mysteries and inspired by the three-pronged spear carried by the ancient Roman sea god Neptune – plans to visit Triton and study the moon’s entire surface in greater detail.

“Triton has always been one of the most exciting and intriguing bodies in the Solar System,” explained Louise Prockter, director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute of the Universities Space Research Association in Houston who leads the Trident proposal team. ”I’ve always loved the Voyager 2 images and their tantalising glimpses of this bizarre, crazy moon that no one understands.”

The Trident mission’s primary goal is to study Triton’s strange icy plumes – a feature scientists believe is caused by water from the interior being forced through the moon’s thick, icy crust – much like on Enceladus. If Trident finds a subsurface ocean is the source of the plumes, the discovery would expand scientists’ understanding of where water might be found beyond Earth. The mission will also map the moon’s surface and study it in greater detail.