NASA Approves Initial Funding for a Submarine to Titan

originally posted by: Metallicus

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.

Indeed, feeding the hunger for knowledge beats feeding the need for blood & destruction any day. A pity some in this thread can't see that. Then again, methinks these same people would be pitching a fit if the same amount of money was instead given to those who need it (kids, elderly, you know, the bane of the ATS whiners' existence) Ergo, if we're not going to care for the demographics that need it, knowledge is the next best thing. Another bomb shouldn't even be on the list. THAT is a total waste of money, poof & it's up in shrapnel & smoke with nothing gained.

Politics aside, this should prove interesting & probably very eye-opening if it ever does happen. It would go a long way in clarifying our understanding of how a hostile environment works or doesn't work. We can simulate all we want, but there's nothing more blunt than observing it firsthand (so to speak)

When we can give the banks billions of dollars, but space exploration can only get millions per venture
No wonder it will take 30 years for this to happen

It should take only 5 if this government spent the money that they print properly

Oh wait? Do I hear another auto maker needing a quick Billion?

Lame

Lets go Space X
Planetary Resources
Who else?

I wish when I paid my taxes I could check a box on what I wanted the $ spent on

1 Police
2 Roads
3 Space

Schools can be funded by communities
EPA paid for by tax's on the corporations they police
Social services: voluntary contributions

originally posted by: Treespeaker
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!

We didn't even have the ability to find and explore the wreck of the Titanic. In the past, ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicles) were only used by the oil industry and navy, were large and clunky, required umbilicial cables the thickness of a garden hose. Then with miniaturized high-tolerance components like motors and pneumatics, fibre optics, HD cameras, micro-controllers, we could build mini-ROV's that could get into tight spaces as well as unravel their own umbilical fibre-optic link as they went along, just like a spider. Then we could explore anywhere.

The smallest home-made ROV's are now the size of an baseball:



Imagine being able to send a probe to Titan, put a relay satellite in orbit, drop down the lander, which in turn releases a swarm of mini-explorers that each explore on their own.

originally posted by: lostbook
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.

Here's an article about how the technology spin-off affect us in everyday liee.

www.space.com...

Cassini might not be in orbit around Titan but its mission included several very close flybys, as close as 1200 kilometers.

On October 27, 2004, the spacecraft executed the first of the 45 planned close flybys of Titan when it flew a mere 1,200 kilometers above the moon.

flyby provided a remarkable increase in imaging resolution over previous coverage. Images with up to 100 times better resolution were taken and are typical of resolutions planned for subsequent Titan flybys.

Not only did Cassini get some amazing photos and data from its close encounters with Titan, but it dropped the Hugyens Probe onto titan as well.

en.wikipedia.org...(spacecraft)


www.space.com...

how do you get a sub to Titan?
it can not sail to it? LOL!

what a wast of money.
we Need to save humans and the earth FIRST !
Not discover the secrets of space and science.
Discover the secrets of saving man and earth first.

finding out how the big band started
will NOT stop wars or starvation...

originally posted by: buddha
how do you get a sub to Titan?
it can not sail to it? LOL!

what a wast of money.
we Need to save humans and the earth FIRST !
Not discover the secrets of space and science.
Discover the secrets of saving man and earth first.

finding out how the big band started
will NOT stop wars or starvation...

Big Band

A big band is a type of musical ensemble that originated in the United States and is associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of percussion, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately 12 to 25 musicians. The terms jazz band, jazz ensemble, jazz orchestra, stage band, society band, and dance band may describe this type of ensemble in particular contexts.

Stylistic origins Jazz, swing (in 1930s)
Cultural origins 1920s; United States

Just could not resist...

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: an0nThinker

I take offense to that as an engineer.

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."

Please watch this and give it a thought...

originally posted by: buddha

finding out how the big ban[g] started
will NOT stop wars or starvation...

It might, if the knowledge leads to the death of religion. A forlorn hope, I know, given mankind's seemingly infinite capacity for delusion, but maybe one day...

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...

Such ignorance.

Do you know what Cassini is?

saturn.jpl.nasa.gov...

Have you never seen the images of seas of methane on Titan?

Random fact of the day: liquid methane is much thinner than water. A wooden boat (or any other wooden object) would sink in it.

Which makes me wonder, how will they keep this submarine from sinking to the bottom.

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.

How short sighted and narrow of you.

Id rather the USA spend £1 billion on this than more weapons and warfare.


In 1969 the USA was the greatest country on earth and in history. It deserved respect and admiration.

Now its a despised joke and symbol of western tyranny.......

Id rather go back to the days when the USA was leading science not imperialism.

But hey lets just use the money to kill some more Muslims and stir up more trouble in the world instead.

Though seeing as Titan has lakes of hydrocarbons im surprised you haven't found WMD's there yet................

a reply to: crazyewok

How short sighted and narrow of you.

You think? No, I mean really ... do you think?

Here's a lesson from the school of hard knocks: When you're in a hole ... put down the shovel.

The only focus the United States should have right now is on getting out of debt. They need to do that before they take you on a 'submarine ride' to rock bottom with us. How does blowing *another* million bucks sound to you now?

Printable $$$ may not be the issue however permissions may be... 1 hopes the sub is thoroughly decontaminated multiple times before entering this fluid system. Imagine something otherworldly entered EA*RTH water contaminated? How EA*RTH would respond if possible? These are areas where SCIENCE has got to be careful.

@ times its understood radio waves and other communication waves leave traces from where their transmitted imagine energies that can travel on those particular waves... Got to be careful EA*RTH for this is a SATURN Moon. If only the present material of that region could be formulated into the sub material to prevent contamination potentials. Good luck

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: crazyewok

How short sighted and narrow of you.

You think? No, I mean really ... do you think?

Here's a lesson from the school of hard knocks: When you're in a hole ... put down the shovel.

The only focus the United States should have right now is on getting out of debt. They need to do that before they take you on a 'submarine ride' to rock bottom with us. How does blowing *another* million bucks sound to you now?

Like a very, very, very small drop in a very, very, VERY large bucket.

Little trivia for ya: 1 million dollars is only 0.000125 % of the US defense budget.

NASA's entire budget is only 2.5 % of the US defense budget.

Now.....tell me again. WHERE would we be saving a LOT more money from? Hmmmmm?

a reply to: eriktheawful

IT has to start somewhere ... much as the frivolous waste must be put to a rational stop.

Tell me honestly ... do you really see a submarine project in space happening, or are you arguing for the sake of argument?

a reply to: an0nThinker

NASA have said in the past that if they can drill through the mile thick ice on Titan then they "should" find sources of life.

Good luck to them.

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: crazyewok

How short sighted and narrow of you.

You think? No, I mean really ... do you think?

Here's a lesson from the school of hard knocks: When you're in a hole ... put down the shovel.

The only focus the United States should have right now is on getting out of debt. They need to do that before they take you on a 'submarine ride' to rock bottom with us. How does blowing *another* million bucks sound to you now?

There is a phrase you need to spend money to make money.

Western economy rely on the technology and science sectors for growth. We cant go back to the old days of farming and primary industry. Those days are dead.

Growth now for us is down to innovation and science. THIS project may cause some major advances in technology or like the moon landing inspire thousands of School children into becoming budding scientists the people that will be behind the future growth.

But hell let china take our Industry and our science and innovation too eh?

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: eriktheawful

IT has to start somewhere ... much as the frivolous waste must be put to a rational stop.

Tell me honestly ... do you really see a submarine project in space happening, or are you arguing for the sake of argument?

I'm arguing from a practical and priority view point.

Think of it this way: You walk into Walmart, and decide to buy a $5,000 dollar huge flat screen TV, a $450 dollar air conditioner, a $500 dollar DSLR camera, and a $5 dollar book on science.

You decide that you are "saving money" by putting the $5 book on science back and not buy it...but that it's still okay to blow the rest of the money.

You might need that AC, and the camera can give you pictures for memories for a long time, but do you REALLY need to spend that money on that gigantic flat screen TV, when a much smaller, much less expensive one will do you just fine?

Is putting back that $5 dollar book really going to save you that much money at all? Or will that low cost (compared to all the other stuff), actually act as a investment towards your knowledge of things?

People rant and rave about how NASA is wasting money, and that the US is so far in debt, and seem to think that the pittance (and yes it is compared to the rest of the US budget) that NASA gets is a great way to stop that spending.

Please. That's the most silly thing I've ever heard.

You want to cut spending? Start with the the salary we pay the US government. Start with the defense budget. Start with entitlements.

Once you curb the Hundreds of billions spent on those things......then we can talk about NASA's measily allowence they get.

a reply to: Snarl

A trillion+ unaccounted for at the pentagon, trillion bank bailout, millions a day to Israel, billions to AQ in syria, etc. and THIS GETS YOUR PANTIES IN A BUNCH?!

Just LOL