Friday, October 5, 2012

Titan Boat

Scientists are looking at the possibility of exploring Saturn's huge moon, Titan, by boat.  Mars is dry land, essentially, so using wheeled rovers there makes sense-- though using aircraft would also be an interesting option.  Aircraft on Titan would also work in that dense atmosphere, but because the surface is dominated by lakes and rivers of liquid methane, scientists are evaluating boats.

The mission under study would plop a boat into the largest methane lake on Titan and sail it to the shoreline, taking samples along the way.  A cooler idea for Titan's frosty surface might be an amphibious vehicle that could "land" (methane?) in the lake, sail those bonny waves to the shore, and then drive overland.  Just a thought.

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