[Interview+] This Crazy Robot Could Explore the CAVES of Titan | NIAC 2026

BONUS PART STARTS AT 32:27

Watch here (with no ads) or on YouTube: https://youtu.be/6h5It3GnTGI

Titan Dragonfly is one of the most exciting missions in development. But it'll have its limits. For example, it won't go into caves on Titan. Which are super interesting. But this NIAC project will study a robot that should be able to go there.

🟣 Guest: Dr. Daniel Drew https://danieldrew.me/

📜 Solid-state Propulsion for Autonomous Reconnaissance of Karst (SPARK) https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/solid-state-propulsion-for-autonomous-reconnaissance-of-karst-spark/

👉 All 2026 NIAC Selections https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/stmd/niac/niac-studies/niac-2026-selections/

• 00:00 Intro

• 01:31 What is karst

• 05:59 The NIAC project

• 23:28 Alternative use cases

• 27:48 Earth-based version

• 32:27 Using robots in Hawaii

• 39:15 Current obsessions

• 46:36 Final thoughts