Scientists have created an "alien ocean" to test the qualities of an underwater robot

The creation of a submarine is a complex task, which is solved by research institutes, design offices and specialized shipyards. But if we are talking about the creation of an underwater vehicle, which should work at low temperatures, in an environment such as a mixture of liquid methane and butane, the complexity of the task increases many times over.

Researchers at the University of Washington are currently working with NASA to understand what a floating probe for Titan should be. On this planet there are seas and oceans of organic hydrocarbons. It is also suggested that there could be life. Whatever it was, but scientists are very interested in further studying this satellite of Saturn.

Well, since quite a significant part of the surface of Titan is covered with liquid hydrocarbons, the scientists considered that a floating autonomous robot would be the best solution for studying the planetoid. NASA plans to send such a device to Titan. True, not now, but in 20 years. There is a lot to do to study the conditions of the satellite of Saturn and to adjust the device to these conditions.


Here it is, man-made ocean of liquid hydrocarbons

In order to design a robot for an alien ocean, the temperature in which is far below zero degrees Celsius, the scientists decided to recreate the conditions of Titan here on Earth. Experts say that Titan is similar to Earth in many ways. Unfortunately, on Titan there are no conditions suitable for the existence of terrestrial organisms. But some kind of special, his own life here may well exist.

In addition to Earth, it is the only object in the solar system where it rains, rivers flow, there are clouds. True, instead of water, methane serves as the main source here.

It is clear that the underwater probe, created by NASA, should work exclusively offline. It must be resistant to external factors, be able to identify obstacles, and also lie on the bottom. The task of creating the apparatus is also difficult because, unlike in terrestrial reservoirs, where the density of the liquid is about the same, the concentration of methane and ethane on Titan varies from region to region. Accordingly, the density of the liquid varies, the intake is quite strong.

First decided to build a "methane submarine" for Titan, a former graduate student at Washington University, Ian Richardson. He received an order from NASA to develop a submersible probe that can withstand extreme (at least for the Earth) weather conditions. The first thing he did was to re-create the atmosphere of Titan in the laboratory, using different mechanisms to track the conditions prevailing on the planetoid.



“My job is to seek and make the right decisions, and I try to do it. Generally speaking, all this is more like a crazy experiment, but this is one of the few chances to touch a really interesting project. All this is very exciting, because we are solving a number of tasks, ” says Ayan.

As for the "methane ocean" itself, the scientists reconstructed the environment of Titan, and also used a two-inch heater to simulate the conditions of the environment of Titan and its interaction with the underwater vehicle. Interestingly, if you move too fast, emitting a lot of heat, then the underwater system immediately surrounds a large number of bubbles with a gas mixture, which changes the conditions of the environment in which the probe should work.

One of the problems that met scientists - the difficulty in shooting a photo or video in such extreme conditions. The researchers considered that the so-called borescope could be the best way to solve this problem. it
optical device consisting of a rigid tube with an eyepiece at one end (distal) and a lens on the side of the arc (at the proximal end), interconnected by an optical system. The optical system is surrounded by optical fiber to transmit light into the study area.

“If there are conditions that are difficult to call friendly, then you must give out original solutions,” says one of the team members. After the adaptation of existing technologies to the conditions of Titan, scientists have already managed to make a video in the very pool of liquid hydrocarbons.

According to experts, the created installation is a good help in developing a reliable apparatus for studying the depths of Titan.