VOA News – US Spacecraft Finds Signs of Seas on Saturn’s Biggest Moon — This sounds interesting. Science fiction writers can get on story lines where the people are 90-percent methane and drink bottled methane to stay hydrated, er mentholated. Add an ignition source: spontaneous human combustion!
A U.S. spacecraft studying Saturn has found evidence of large seas on its biggest moon, Titan. But if they are seas, they would not be filled with water. Instead, as VOA’s David McAlary reports, they would be liquid beds of the hydrocarbon methane, normally a flammable gas on the much warmer Earth.
The Voice of America is still around? I thought they followed Radio Moscow into the dustbin of Cold War history.
Does this means that the oil companies are going to buy the exploration rights to Titan?
C’mon, Angel. It’ll go no-bid to KBR.
#4 you have got to be kidding.
Nasa is a mere shell of what it once was. Nasa is now run by lawyers and beaurocrats, not the we can do it heroes from the Apollo, Mercury, and Gemini missions.
It is now just a bloated, outdated, outmoded government entity who’s time has long gone. Private space development will really see the next big jump. As long as nasa is truly content to just merely circle the earth they are a waste of money. The have no mission, no charter, and no vision.
While nasa was screwing around with the space shuttle, most of the Titan rocket tech and experience was wasted. What we are left with is a shuttle that costs more per launch than the titan rockets, are less reliable, and can only carry 1/5 of the payload of the titans. Money well spent? Hardly. The space station could have been built with far fewer launches had we still been using titan rockets (or an updated version).
Nasa of the 60’s: To boldly go where no man has gone before
Nasa of today: To boldy sit and wait for something to happen.
(to borrow a phrase)
Err sorry, Saturn rockets.. I cant multitask!
Cool. A whole planet full of the Sacred Fartane Gas. We should mine it and bring it back here to power our trucks.
Unfortunately, #5 is right. There is some good research going on here and there, but NASA is a hollow shell of it’s former self.
It was announced today that the Bush Administration has directed NASA to send a probe to Titan to light a match and see what happens.
(The fact you hacks missed that joke is sad. Catch up.)
Maybe we can convince Halliburton to move their headquarters there! You know…as a service to all mankind.
Just to pick some nits:
1: I didn’t think spontaneous human combustion required an ignition source (at least not external)
2: wouldn’t be “human” combustion, more like Titan-ium (or Titan-ite) combustion,assuming that’s what inhabitants of Titan would be called.
🙂
Saturn? I thought those were in New Jersey….?