Titan Submersible Hearings

[@HM-uf1lv]

Q: "What was the safety cutlure like..." A: long pause and a platidudinous answer.

[@mrmelmba]

Prior to the dive difficulty arose with keeping the Titan horizontal, a problem that was not fixed correctly. Towing the craft exacerbated the problem. The point of failure was the brittle glue connection between the titanium cone and the carbon fibre hull. Even this expedition might have completed successfully. The Titanic was already in sight. However, the craft was descending faster than normal and an error in judgment resulted in the Titan touching the ocean floor sooner than expected and at an angle instead of landing flat on its frame. Even a relatively small jolt would have been sufficient for the epoxy to separate from the titanium ring. Epoxy glue clings tenaciously and it is almost impossible to separate two parts joined together with the application of heat, but in freezing temperatures the brittle substance cracks with ease from even a minor shock. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Descending through a fluid a craft cannot rely on free fall to arrive at its destination, but needs fins to control its direction of travel, which were lacking in the basic design.

[@lisa.user-xm7kz2tb6x]

Why hearings? A private jaunt. Ok, next...