Triton Hopper: Exploring Neptune’s Captured Kuiper Belt Object

Abstract: Neptune’s moon Triton is a fascinating object, a dynamic moon with an atmosphere, and geysers. Triton is unique in the outer solar system in that it is most likely a captured Kuiper belt object (KBO), a leftover building block of the solar system. When Voyager flew by it was the coldest body yet found in our solar system (33 degrees Kelvin) and had volcanic activity, geysers, and a thin atmosphere. It is covered in ices made from nitrogen, water, and carbon-dioxide, and shows surface deposits…