Saturn’s moon Titan is unique in the outer solar system in that it is the only one of the bodies outside the Earth with liquid lakes and seas on its surface and the US space agency has unveiled plans to send a submarine into the depths of its largest ocean – Kraken Mare. Kraken Mare (NASA) The chosen target, the awesomely named Kraken Mare, is about 600 miles (1,000 km) in length but with an unknown depth. Chemical spectrography has revealed that the sea is made up of hydrocarbons, most likely methane.
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It takes nearly 30 Earth years for Titan to revolve around the planet, which will influence when such a mission could take place. Radar image of a portion of Kraken Mare with a rugged coastline and numerous islands.
Saturn is orbited by 62 official moons, the largest of which is Titan. Some of the It is unknown when such a mission would ever take place, as this is really just the first rough draft of what could be used to explore Titan’s Kraken Mare with a submarine.
There are a number of technological and logistical obstacles to address before any proposed launch dates are developed, including Titan’s orbit around Saturn. Unfortunately, it has been difficult to obtain much information about the lakes’ depth or composition from the orbital missions. The narrow constriction in the sea at 317°W, 67°N, about 17 km wide and similar in size to the Synthetic aperture radar image (top) overlaid onto a visible light/infrared image of Titan's north polar region, showing the full extent of Kraken Mare. Other proposed missions to explore Titan’s seas include the Sign up today to get weekly science coverage direct to your inboxThis website uses cookies to improve user experience. NASA's conceptual Titan submarine is based on experience gained from the building and operations of drone submersibles on Earth. Its status as a sea of hydrocarbons (mainly liquid methane) was identified by radar imagery. NASA has recently revealed what a conceptual submarine mission to Kraken Mare, the largest sea on Titan, would look like. While the craft wouldn’t have a problem staying under the sea during that time and diving, it will need to surface in order to transmit data back to Earth. The Kraken Mare is the largest body of liquid on Titan, and is estimated to be around 160 meters deep. However, Titan is not your average satellite - larger than the planet Mercury, Titan has a thick nitrogen atmosphere and a large liquid hydrocarbon lakes on the surface. At 400,000 km², Kraken Mare is thought to be the largest body of liquid in Titan's north polar region. It would be powered by a During the mission, the submarine would make a number of observations and collect data using a variety of instruments. The submarine is designed with Titan’s Kraken Mare sea in mind. By continuing to use our website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our cookie policy.
Radar image showing the northern portion of Kraken Mare, including the large island Mayda Insula. Focusing on a flagship class science system (~100 kg) it was found that a submersible platform can accomplish extensive and exciting science both above and below the surface of the Kraken Mare ubmerged science The s includes mapping using side looking sonar, imaging and spectroscopy of the sea at all depths, as well as sampling of the sea’s bottom and shallow shoreline. NASA has recently revealed what a The hypothetical submarine would travel about 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles) over the course of a 90 day mission. The USGS web site gives the size as a "diameter", but it is actually the length in the longest dimension. The maximum depth appears to be 160 meters and shallow capillary waves 1.5 centimeters high moving at 0.7 meters per second have been detected.