NASA Approves Initial Funding for a Submarine to Titan

Saw some interesting news. NASA has initial funding for a submarine to one of Saturn's moon Titan. What are the chances that we find the first case of life outside the earth in the solar system? I am going to be keeping an eye on this for a long time to come. Do you think this will get full funding?

A robot submarine for exploring the methane oceans of Saturn's giant moon, Titan, a greenhouse on Mars and a spacecraft that hitches rides on comets to the outer solar system are just three of the far-out ideas NASA is backing in its latest round of funding for the distant future of space exploration. Each year NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) programme asks researchers to submit ideas for space technology that could prove useful in the next few decades. Last year selections included two-dimensional spacecraft and suspended animation. This time NIAC has chosen 12 projects, each of which will receive $100,000 for a nine-month study, with the possibility of another $500,000 for further research if the idea checks out. The scheme lets researchers dream up missions to places we have never been before. "The hydrocarbon lakes on TitanMovie Camera are unique in the solar system," says Steven Oleson of NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, who is leading a proposal for an autonomous submarine to explore their depths. "Besides Earth, there are really no other exposed liquids." Some hope that life may have taken root in and around those lakes, though it would be nothing like life on Earth.

www.newscientist.com...
More sources-
rt.com...
www.nbcnews.com...

a reply to: an0nThinker

why the #&*@ they funding that right now,,,,they dont even have a satellite in orbit around Titan to find the best spot to use it...must be cover for some other type of use or a political payoff...

a reply to: Misinformation
Not sure. Titan is perhaps the only one of the places in the solar system capable of supporting some kind of life. Sending a satellite to Titan is probably a logical step before they send a submarine probe into one of its lakes. This would probably be send well into the late 20's to 40's. The video claims probably in the 40's.

Another frikkin waste of coin. It's the people who come up with these bright ideas who 'should' be populating the rosters of the unemployed. Them ... and their bosses.

a reply to: Snarl
I take offense to that as an engineer. R&D and space are wonderful to invest money in. Why? Because it generates jobs and actually helps the GDP. For every dollar we spend on NASA we get a benefit of 7. Please, let's not make this a political discussion.

Analyses of the macroeconomic effects of the U.S. space program attempt to identify and measure that portion of economic growth attributable to technological progress. A Midwest Research Institute (MRI) study of the relationship between R&D expenditures and technology-induced increases in GNP indicated that each dollar spent on R&D returns an average of slightly over seven dollars in GNP over an eighteen-year period following the expenditure (3). Assuming that NASA's R&D expenditures produce the same economic payoff as the average R&D expenditure, MRI concluded that the $25 billion (1958) spent on civilian space R&D during the 1959-69 period returned $52 billion through 1970 and will continue to stimulate benefits through 1987, for a total gain of $181 billion.

er.jsc.nasa.gov...

a reply to: an0nThinker

Very cool, I was wondering why we haven't sent a mobile probe earlier.

And also from reading the article I gather that this would be a three fold probe, one two be a satellite, one to charge the vehicle, and a submarine that is very shielded.

I think this is one of the most likely places to find rudementary life and so of course support this course of action, this may very prove if life is possible elsewhere where personal belief is just that...

Cheers, and thanks for a great rare read!

originally posted by: Misinformation
a reply to: an0nThinker

why the #&*@ they funding that right now,,,,they dont even have a satellite in orbit around Titan to find the best spot to use it...must be cover for some other type of use or a political payoff...

Never heard of Cassini? Gee...

a reply to: Jungian

Cassini isnt orbit around Titan , it orbits Saturn ...if their getting such fantastic pictures of Titan to base a submarine mission off of , then they must be lying about photographic capabilities of these various probes in orbit

Why don't they just send a probe with a fishing pole and camera to find if there are fish in that sea. Maybe there is trout there.

originally posted by: Snarl
Another frikkin waste of coin. It's the people who come up with these bright ideas who 'should' be populating the rosters of the unemployed. Them ... and their bosses.

Yeah, but engineers need something to keep them employed. If not, they'd be wandering around the world selling their skills to the highest bidders, and there are some countries who have other uses for rockets and submarines in mind than some harmless trip to Saturn.

It's expensive, sure. And pretty much a waste of time and money. But we got more time and money than we know what to do with anyway. What else are you going to do with it? Give more of it to people so they can sit around and breed?

a reply to: an0nThinker

I take offense to that as an engineer.

LOL Seriously? You think it's a good idea to "blow" $1.2M on people sitting around thinking about spending $500K? And then you say, "Let's not make this political." ???

Seriously???

People need to stand up and challenge every idiotic idea being 'floated' on the tax payer's buck ... and ... the idiots need to be let go from their jobs.

Sorry for raining on your parade so directly. Not in a particularly eloquent mood ATM.

Spending $1.7M ... today ... on an idea .... to put a submarine ... on a moon ... 25 years from now. Think about it and then tell me I'm being "political."

a reply to: an0nThinker

That is cool and everything, but what is the point of even being interested because NASA would never tell us if they found any life at all.

a reply to: Snarl
Look, I completely agree with reigning in spending. I am a big believer at cutting govt expenses. However, since NASA basically pays for itself and increases our understanding of the universe, I am completely against stopping funding to them. You don't understand how R&D works. It is what makes the US rich. Innovation comes from everywhere. NASA barely uses up 20 billion dollars vs defense 700 billion or welfare programs that take up the majority of our budget.
Without producing economic activity there cannot be any growth. We cannot be a nation of consumers.

originally posted by: desertguy
a reply to: an0nThinker

That is cool and everything, but what is the point of even being interested because NASA would never tell us if they found any life at all.

Yes, that's right, NASA want to fund a mission to search for alien life because they are devoted to concealing any evidence of alien life that such a mission might find.

Your logic circuits appear to be malfunctioning.

I say build a dozen and drop them all over Titan. If six of them make it, and go up and running, what a nice use of money and brainpower. With just one, I hope it works, and hopefully they will tinker with it so it will be A.I. and, you know, go all Kraken Project on us.

$100,000 of funding on different proposals? that's a think tank at best, more likely just proposals then. They should do this every year

a reply to: an0nThinker

Titan is cool and all but I like the possibilities of life under the Europa ice.

I think thats where it will be found.

originally posted by: Snarl
Another frikkin waste of coin. It's the people who come up with these bright ideas who 'should' be populating the rosters of the unemployed. Them ... and their bosses.

Think of it this way...it will cost less than one missile in the 'war on terror'. This is a much better use for the money than shooting at brown people.

I think it's a great idea. The R&D will lead to jobs, boost the economy, and maybe even contribute to Space infrastructure development. Think of it this way, we are STILL benefiting from technology(ies) developed during the Apollo era. Any tech developed for Space tech I'm all for it. The new technologies that have to be developed for our next round of Space exploration will be mind blowing and world changing.

Recycling technologies for air and water
3D printing technologies for housing, food, and medical
new propulsion technologies that don't use fossil fuels
cryogenics tech for long trips
communications tech for the vast distances of deep space
and more....

All of these technologies will move into the private sector and improve our lives for the better. See where I'm going with this? This may seem like a waste of resources but it really isn't and once you look at the benefits to society you'll see why.

Anything going to titan to explore the surface of... Is proof we already know what were going to find at Europa! Life!