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Plans exist. Here's one for a submarine on Titan - https://www.nasa.gov/content/titan-submarine-exploring-the-depths-of-kraken/#.VYMRb3XN-00 https://www.nasa.g

Plans exist. Here's one for a submarine on Titan - https://www.nasa.gov/content/titan-submarine-exploring-the-depths-of-kraken/#.VYMRb3XN-00 https://www.nasa.gov/content/titan-submarine-exploring-the-d... There was another Titan boat proposal a couple years ago, but it lost NASA's internal funding battles to Yet Another Mars Lander. http://www.universetoday.com/96924/mars-lander-wins-out-for-2016-mission-over-titan-boat-and-comet-hopper/ http://www.universetoday.com/96924/mars-lander-wins-out-for-... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Mare_Explorer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titan_Mare_Explorer

Caprinicus 11y ago
Mars is easily the lamest planet in the solar system. I don't understand why we need to keep going there.
- devindotcom 11y ago
  Thousands of experts disagree?
- clarky07 11y ago
  by being "lamest" it is most reasonable for humans to go to, and most likely to actually be useful to us.
- kenrikm 11y ago
  Because there is actually a chance people could live there for extended periods of time.
- meatysnapper 11y ago
  Mars is the Ohio of the Solar System. Important for political purposes, but otherwise boring and unfulfilling.
magicalist 11y ago
Just to be clear, the Titan "boat" was really a buoy. It would have dropped into a lake and drifted. That still would have been amazing (imagine video from a lake on another world!), but the science would have been limited by the cost of dealing with the environment and the tight budget of the Discovery program. The biggest issue, however, was the problematic development of the needed power supply[1]. There is another option for these missions, of course. A nominal increase in NASA funding to increase the number of missions we can fly. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Stirling_radioisotope_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Stirling_radioisotope...
- waterlesscloud 11y ago
  Even these "cheap" missions are a half billion each, so it's a little more than nominal. Choices have to be made, even if NASA's budget was doubled. TiME was always a longshot proprosal, but I'd personally rather see the lower budget Discovery Program missions doing riskier stuff. And while I love a good Mars mission, Mars gets all the marquee missions anyway. It's kind of a shame to see it eat the resources of the lesser missions too.
  - magicalist 11y ago
    > Even these "cheap" missions are a half billion each, so it's a little more than nominal over a decade or more, though :) I just wish we could have more.

Caprinicus 11y ago

Mars is easily the lamest planet in the solar system. I don't understand why we need to keep going there.

devindotcom 11y ago
Thousands of experts disagree?
clarky07 11y ago
by being "lamest" it is most reasonable for humans to go to, and most likely to actually be useful to us.
kenrikm 11y ago
Because there is actually a chance people could live there for extended periods of time.
meatysnapper 11y ago
Mars is the Ohio of the Solar System. Important for political purposes, but otherwise boring and unfulfilling.

magicalist 11y ago

Just to be clear, the Titan "boat" was really a buoy. It would have dropped into a lake and drifted. That still would have been amazing (imagine video from a lake on another world!), but the science would have been limited by the cost of dealing with the environment and the tight budget of the Discovery program. The biggest issue, however, was the problematic development of the needed power supply[1]. There is another option for these missions, of course. A nominal increase in NASA funding to increase the number of missions we can fly. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Stirling_radioisotope_generator https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Stirling_radioisotope...

waterlesscloud 11y ago
Even these "cheap" missions are a half billion each, so it's a little more than nominal. Choices have to be made, even if NASA's budget was doubled. TiME was always a longshot proprosal, but I'd personally rather see the lower budget Discovery Program missions doing riskier stuff. And while I love a good Mars mission, Mars gets all the marquee missions anyway. It's kind of a shame to see it eat the resources of the lesser missions too.
- magicalist 11y ago
  > Even these "cheap" missions are a half billion each, so it's a little more than nominal over a decade or more, though :) I just wish we could have more.