UK hopes to launch boat into space to explore oceans of Saturn's moon Titan

The mission will be one of the ambitious missions discussed at a meeting to celebrate Britain's 50 years in spaceIt is arguably the most audacious maritime adventure ever undertaken – a mission worthy of James Cook or Christopher Columbus to unlock the secrets of unknown seas and faraway lands.But what sets this mission apart from the great age of maritime exploration is that the hi-tech vessel must first travel 1.5bn kilometres before even embarking on her maritime voyage, and the waves that will be pounding her will be on the vast methane oceans of Saturn's moon Titan.Prof John Zarnecki, a planetary scientist at the UK's Open University, said the proposed mission to float a probe on the surface of Titan's seas for three months had reached the final three proposals for selection by Nasa. "It's a boat, essentially. You'd have been locked up as a loony if you'd suggested that...

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