The U.S. Space Agency issued a press release on how it assisted in the development of the missing submersible “Titan” that lost contact with the surface after starting last Sunday’s dive to explore the wreckage of the passenger ship Titanic. Published reports detailed how the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville assisted the OceanGate company with details, including the composite materials used in the submersible’s hull. NASA’s release specified that engineers at Marshall did not conduct testing on the vehicle or use its workforce or facilities to build it.
“We regret to hear the Titan submersible is missing, and we remain hopeful the crew will be found unharmed,” said Lance Davis at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
That clarification was echoed by the Boeing Corporation. The aerospace company, NASA, and the University of Washington were reported listed in an OceanGate video as participating in the construction of the submersible “Titan.”
“Boeing was not a partner on the Titan, and did not design or build it,” the company statement read.
The search for the missing submersible on an expedition to view the wreckage of the Titanic neared the critical 96-hour mark. That’s when breathable air is expected to run out, reaching a vital moment in the intense effort to save the five people aboard. The Titan submersible was estimated to have a four-day supply of breathable air when it launched Sunday morning in the North Atlantic. Experts say the oxygen supply number is an imprecise estimate. The U.S. Coast Guard said that an undersea robot sent by a Canadian ship has reached the sea floor and a French research institute said a deep-diving robot with cameras, lights and arms also joined the operation.
