By Gemma Wilson

COLUMBUS discovered the New World in a boat.

So it is perhaps fitting that Spanish scientists plan to take a boat on a space mission to Saturn.

The ship is to be used to sail across a large area of lakes, which inhabit the planet’s moon, known as Titan.

Scientists from Spain’s space programme have presented the bold project at the European Planetary Science Congress.

The boat – propelled by wheels and paddles – will explore Titan’s methane lakes and seas.

The probe, known as TALISE (Titan Lake In-situ Sampling Propelled Explorer), in particular will float over Ligeia Mare, near Titan’s North Pole.

The mission, lasting for up to a year, would also see TALISE explore the coast collecting invaluable information.

An earlier probe in 2005 discovered that Titan’s surface was made of soft, wet sand with a fragile crust on top.

Scientists are now working on putting together the initial TALISE construction so they can be ready to go when the future space mission starts seeking proposals.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. It would help if the writer of this article did some research first – Columbus was not the first to ‘discover’ the New World.

    1st were the Gaelic Celts from Erin/2nd the Norse Vikings, archealogical evidence of their attempts at settlement exist in modern day Canada and the Euskadi regularly fished the waters off Greenland but kept the knowledge of the lucrative fishing location to themselves.

    Can’t help but agree totally with those who have already posted.

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