Science

Titan Implosion Testimony Paints A Picture Of Reckless Greed And Explorer Passion

Published

2 months ago

2024-09-27

Two weeks of testimony suggested that the company responsible for an experimental deep-water submersible that imploded, killing five people, either recklessly ignored warning signs in the name of profits or embodied the nation’s explorer spirit by taking calculated risks to push humankind’s limits.

Those opposing viewpoints emerged as the Coast Guard panel tasked with determining why the carbon-fiber Titan went down 12,500 feet (3,810 meters) deep wrapped up testimony on Friday, with new information that could have changed how rescuers responded and more discussion of the company co-founder’s cavalier attitude.

Titan Implosion Testimony Paints A Picture Of Reckless Greed And Explorer Passion

Capt. Jamie Frederick, commander of the Coast Guard sector located in Boston, looked shocked to learn that the crew of Titan’s support vessel felt a tiny shudder when the submersible exploded on its approach to the Titanic debris last year.

Frederick called it “unconscionable that they wouldn’t share that,” which could have influenced the rescue reaction. “It certainly would’ve changed the equation,” he said.

Also on Friday, an OceanGate employee testified that he resigned after a “tense” conversation in which co-founder Stockton Rush told him the vessel would be flagged in the Bahamas and launched from Canada to avoid U.S. scrutiny — and arrogantly dismissed U.S. regulatory concerns if it arrived at a U.S. port.

The worker, Matthew McCoy, claimed Rush told him: “If the Coast Guard became a problem, he would buy himself a congressman and make it go away.”

The public hearing concluded in the afternoon with condolences from OceanGate’s lawyer, a representative from the National Transportation Safety Board, and Marine Board of Investigation Chair Jason Neubauer, who asked everyone in attendance to stand for a moment of silence for “those who perished” in the tragedy.

According to Neubauer, the group will conclude its work and make suggestions to Coast Guard leadership “to help ensure that nobody has to endure a future similar occurrence.”

He stated that his recommendations to the commander would include both safety proposals and any criminal conduct. If the panel feels there was criminal conduct, the referral will be handled separately.

“My priority is to get this issue done expeditiously because I feel that there are global issues at stake,” Neubauer said to the audience.

Previous testimony created contrasting pictures of avarice and arrogance, with well-heeled clients paying to ride in a carbon fiber submersible — a material that had never been tested at such depths — and modern-day explorers taking calculated risks to make the ocean’s deepest depths accessible to more people.

Guillermo Sohnlein, who co-founded OceanGate with Rush, described the lofty goal as “to give humanity greater access to the ocean, specifically the deep ocean.” According to Rush, using carbon fiber for the pressure hull was not a unique idea, and he was the first human to test the design.

However, former operations director David Lochridge claimed that the corporation was solely focused on profit.

“The whole idea behind the company was to make money,” he told the jury. “There was very little in the way of science.”

Witnesses couldn’t even agree on how to address the wealthy patrons who spent $250,000 for the experience. Some claimed they were simply passengers, despite OceanGate referring to them as “mission specialists” who were assigned assignments.

Rush and four others were killed in the implosion, including Paul-Henri Nargeolet, the director of underwater research for RMS Titanic, which had the legal right to salvage the ship’s debris. Nargeolet’s family is suing for more than $50 million, accusing the submarine operator of gross negligence.

Much of the discussion focused on Titan’s carbon-fiber pressure shell. Roy Thomas, senior principal engineer at the American Bureau of Shipping, testified that while carbon fiber is sturdy and lightweight, it is difficult to manufacture. Carbon fiber is also “susceptible to fatigue failure” under repeated pressurization, and saltwater can weaken the material in a variety of ways, he added.

At the opening of the hearing, held in South Carolina, Coast Guard authorities stated that the submersible had not been independently evaluated, as is customary procedure.

Witnesses claimed they had heard tremendous breaking sounds in previous descents. Scientific director Steven Ross stated that on a dive just a few days before the Titan exploded, the ship became unstable due to a ballast issue, forcing passengers to tumble and crash against a bulkhead.

During its last dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost touch after exchanging texts as it fell. One of Titan’s crew’s final signals to the Polar Prince support ship before the submersible collapsed said, “All good here.” Meanwhile, the crew of the Polar Prince became increasingly apprehensive.

Ships, planes, and other equipment gathered for a rescue mission approximately 435 miles (700 km) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. The Titanic’s wreckage was later discovered on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 meters) off the bow, according to Coast Guard officers.

Titan Implosion Testimony Paints A Picture Of Reckless Greed And Explorer Passion

Frederick testified on Friday about the huge effort to gather specialists and resources, pointing out that OceanGate had no emergency backup plan. “We brought a team together, came up with a plan,” he told me.

After receiving reports of noises from the ocean floor, the Coast Guard-led team assumed there might be survivors until several days after contact was lost with the Titan, when the Navy said its analysis was “100% certain” that the underwater sounds were not human-made, according to Frederick.

“As soon as we received that information, I shared it with the families before we released it to the media,” said Frederick, who personally handled the family notification process.

It needed a significant effort to bring a remote submersible capable of exploring the ocean floor to the scene, he explained.

According to Frederick, three C-17 military transport aircraft flew the submersible and associated equipment to Canada’s Newfoundland, where they were transferred to a ship and transported to the spot. Once there, Pelagic Research Services’ remote-controlled submersible “Odysseus” immediately discovered the Titan’s debris field, he said.

SOURCE | AP

Science

Australia Asks Residents to Catch Deadly Funnel Web Spider

Published

4 days ago

2024-11-20

Geoff Brown

As summer approaches in Australia, residents are warned to look out for the funnel web spider, one of the country’s deadliest species.

In addition to advising the public to avoid funnel-web spiders during mating season, the Australian Reptile Park in New South Wales has even asked people to capture live funnel-web spiders so they can “milk” their venom.

Native to eastern Australia, the funnel web spider can kill humans in as little as fifteen minutes if they do not receive medical treatment for its poisonous bite.

There have been thirteen fatalities attributable to this species, but none since the development of antivenom in 1981. The Australian Reptile Park is appealing to the public for assistance capturing and donating spiders, as the serum relies on milking live spiders.

Hunting for the funnel net spider in residential areas is common practice after a particularly wet and warm season. Look for spiders in cool, dark places like pools, garden residue, heaps of dirty clothing, and outside shoes.

Australian Reptile Park spider keeper Emma Teni recently blogged about how they rely on spider donations more than ever, especially now that breeding season has arrived and the temperature is perfect.

“Male funnel-web spiders have short lifespans, and with approximately 150 spiders required to make just one vial of antivenom, we need the public’s help to ensure we have enough venom to meet demand.”

“If you spot an egg sac while collecting a spider, it’s important to safely collect that as well,” said Teni. “It can provide a robust supply of healthy young spiders to aid in our antivenom production.”

The spiders won’t be able to climb plastic or glass, but Teni suggests capturing funnel webs in a wide-mouthed jar with a cover. Then, you can lead the spiders into the container using a long spoon or something similar.

After that, fill the jar with moist soil, screw on the top, and bring it to the designated drop-off spot.

“We depend on the public for spider donations, and we want to make sure everyone stays safe during the collection process, especially with conditions being so favourable this year,” said Teni.

Trudeau Orders Facebook to Block Presser Video from Australia

Trudeau Orders Facebook to Block Australian Presser Video

Science

A Spacecraft Is On Its Way To A Harmless Asteroid Slammed By NASA In A Previous Save-The-Earth Test

Published

1 month ago

2024-10-10

Kiara Grace

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – A spacecraft launched Monday to probe the site of a cosmic accident.

The European Space Agency’s Hera spacecraft launched on a two-year trip to the little, harmless asteroid slammed by NASA two years ago as a practice run for the day when a murderous space rock threatens Earth. It’s the second phase of a planetary defense experiment that could one day save the globe.

SpaceX’s Falcon rocket vanished with Hera into the late morning clouds. An hour later, cheering erupted in the control center in Germany as the spacecraft split from the rocket’s upper stage and returned home. “It’s an amazing day,” the space agency’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, said later.

The 2022 crash of NASA’s Dart spacecraft reduced Dimorphos’ orbit around its larger companion, indicating that if a harmful rock was heading our way, it might be pushed off course with adequate warning.

nasa

A Spacecraft Is On Its Way To A Harmless Asteroid Slammed By NASA In A Previous Save-The-Earth Test

Scientists are eager to analyze the aftermath of the impact up close to determine how effective Dart was and what improvements may be required to protect Earth in the future.

“The more detail we can glean the better as it may be important for planning a future deflection mission should one be needed,” University of Maryland astronomer Derek Richardson stated before launch.

Researchers want to know if Dart (short for Double Asteroid Redirection Test) created a crater or changed the 500-foot (150-meter) asteroid more dramatically. It seemed to be a flying saucer before Dart’s blow and may now resemble a kidney bean, according to Richardson, who participated in the Dart mission and is assisting Hera.

Dart’s wallop sent rubble and boulders hurtling off Dimorphos, adding to the impact’s momentum. For months, the debris track extended thousands of miles (almost 10,000 kilometers) into space.

According to flight director Ignacio Tanco, some rocks and debris may still be hovering about the asteroid, posing a threat to Hera.

A Spacecraft Is On Its Way To A Harmless Asteroid Slammed By NASA In A Previous Save-The-Earth Test

“We don’t really know very well the environment in which we are going to operate,” Tanco informed me. “But that’s the whole point of the mission is to go there and find out.”

European authorities refer to the $400 million (363 million euros) effort as a “crash scene investigation.”

“Hera is going back to the crime scene and getting all the scientific and technical information,” said project manager Ian Carnelli.

Carrying a dozen science instruments, the compact car-sized Hera must swing past Mars in 2025 for a gravitational boost before landing at Dimorphos by the end of 2026. It’s a moonlet of Didymos, the Greek word for twin, a five-times larger asteroid that spins quickly. At that point, the asteroids will be 120 million miles (195 million kilometers) from Earth.

Hera will attempt to enter orbit around the rocky duo, progressively reducing flyby distances from 18 miles (30 kilometers) to a half-mile (1 kilometer). The spacecraft will examine the moonlet for at least six months to determine its mass, shape, composition, and orbit around Didymos.

Before the crash, Dimorphos circled its larger partner from three-quarters of a mile (1,189 meters) away. Scientists believe the orbit has become tighter and more oval-shaped, and that the moonlet may be tumbling.

Two shoebox-sized Cubesats will launch from Hera for even closer drone-like examinations, with one employing radar to peek beneath the moonlet’s boulder-strewn surface. Scientists believe Dimorphos was produced from particles shed by Didymos. The radar measurements should assist in determining whether Didymos is the small moon’s parent.

A Spacecraft Is On Its Way To A Harmless Asteroid Slammed By NASA In A Previous Save-The-Earth Test

After their survey, the CubeSats will attempt to land on the moonlet. If the moonlet tumbles, the situation will become more complicated. Hera may potentially conclude its mission with a perilous touchdown but on the bigger Didymos.

Neither asteroid poses a threat to Earth, before or after Dart appeared. That is why NASA chose the pair for humanity’s first asteroid-deflecting demonstration.

Asteroids, which are remnants of the solar system’s origin 4.6 billion years ago, circle the sun principally between Mars and Jupiter in what is known as the main asteroid belt, where millions of them live. When they fall from the belt and land in our area, they become near-Earth objects.

NASA now has around 36,000 near-Earth objects, the majority of which are asteroids, although there are also some comets. More than 2,400 of them are deemed potentially dangerous to the Earth.

SOURCE | AP

Science

A Rare Comet Brightens The Night Skies In October

Published

2 months ago

2024-10-09

Kiara Grace

NEW YORK — Prepare to spot a rare and dazzling comet.

The space rock is hurling toward Earth from the far reaches of the solar system and will make its closest approach on Saturday. It should be visible through the end of October, assuming clear skies.

A Rare Comet Brightens The Night Skies In October

Comet Tsuchinshan-Atlas should be visible to the naked eye, but binoculars and telescopes will provide a clearer view.

“It’ll be this fuzzy circle with a long tail stretching away from it,” explained Sally Brummel, planetarium manager at the Bell Museum in Minnesota.

What is a comet?
They are frozen remains from billions of years ago when the solar system was formed. They heat up as they swing toward the sun, revealing their distinctive streaming tails.

In 2023, a green one that had last visited Earth 50,000 years ago flew past again. Other significant flybys were Neowise in 2020 and Hale-Bopp and Hyakutake in the mid to late 1990s.

Where did Tsuchinshan-Atlas come from?
Also known as C/2023 A3, was found last year and named after the observatories in China and South Africa that spotted it.

It originated in the Oort Cloud, which extends far beyond Pluto. After making its closest approach to Earth at 44 million miles (71 million kilometers), it will not return for another 80,000 years, provided it survives the journey.

A Rare Comet Brightens The Night Skies In October

Every year, several comets are detected, but many of them burn up near the sun or are too far away to be observed without special equipment, according to Larry Denneau, a key researcher with the Atlas telescope that helped discover it.

How to View

Those seeking to see Tsuchinshan-Atlas should go outside about an hour after sunset on a clear night and look to the west.

The comet should be visible from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

SOURCE | AP