A probe to explore Titan’s oily sea
In 2009, Proxemy Research submitted its proposal for the Titan Mare Explorer (TiME) for inclusion in NASA’s Discovery program. The probe would launch toward Saturn in 2016 and reach Titan’s Ligeia Mare in 2023. Floating in the methane-ethane sea, the lander was to spend nearly 100 days performing the “first exploration of an extraterrestrial sea,” according to the proposal. The estimated $425 million mission would acquire an improved understanding of Titan’s methane cycle, investigate the moon’s history, and “explore the limits of life,” according to NASA. TiME made it all the way to the final stage of the Discovery selection process, but the project was ultimately rejected. The good news is that NASA did eventually choose a mission to Titan, namely the aerial Dragonfly mission, which is expected to launch in 2027.
