SpaceX Rival Successfully Launches 3D-Printed Rocket Into Near-Space
The idea that Titan is one of the most interesting worlds out there in space is common knowledge. It has an atmosphere, liquid oceans, and mountains named after the Lord of the Rings. Subsequently, there are speculations we might even find hints of alien life there. In the meantime, space agencies are busy with something else: for example, building submarines to explore its oceans.
The idea and design was developed by NASA Glenn’s COMPASS Team and the Applied Physics Lab (the video illustrates the concept well enough). The submersible will be about one tonne in weight, depending on conventional propulsion, and targeting a 90-day mission to the arctic seas of Titan. Difficulties are expected not for the landing – Cassini-Hyugens has provided a lot of data in this sense – but for the mission itself. Nothing is known about the environment under the sea surface, even though tides and currents have been detected. Moreover, while gravity is far lower than on Earth (around 0.14 g), at the depths expected of more than 500 m in Kranken Mare (the largest polar basin on Titan), nitrogen condensation and the cold create many technological constraints.
“The vehicle would splashdown in the safe center of Kraken-1, then after sea trials, would sail north to observe tidal flow through the Ligeia-Kraken labyrinth and perhaps ‘sniff’ the more methane-rich liquid flowing equatorward from Ligeia. It will then explore the western shoreline of Kraken and investigate the tidal flow at the throat.” (Lorenz et. al, 2015, at the 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference)
This concept idea of a submarine comes after years of fly-by done during the Cassini Mission and the Cassini-Huygens probe landing in January 2005, in which discovered Titan’s incredible features. Timescale for the sea exploration? After Mars and Europa, apparently. NASA declared that the first submarine could be sent on Saturn’s moon by 2040 in an unmanned mission.
“In many ways a Titan submarine has autonomy requirements comparable with a terrestrial one and the propulsion/hydrodynamic considerations are similar. However, the direct transmission of worthwhile amounts of data over a billion miles to Earth requires a large antenna, implemented as a planar phased-array dorsal fin.” (Lorenz et. al, 2015, at the 46th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference)
Photo Credit: NASA
About the author
Stephen P. Bianchini is a statistician and a social scientist working in higher education. Based in rainy UK. Passionate about astrophysics, space security, SF and technical diving. Blog: http://earthianhivemind.net/ Twitter: @SPBianchini
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