麻豆传媒

World

NASA, Boeing describe limited roles despite Titan's owner touting aerospace ties

This June 2023 image provided by Pelagic Research Services shows remains of the Titan submersible on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (Pelagic Research Services via AP) This June 2023 image provided by Pelagic Research Services shows remains of the Titan submersible on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean. (Pelagic Research Services via AP)
Share

OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush said the carbon fibre hull used in an experimental submersible that imploded was developed with help of NASA and aerospace manufacturers, but a NASA official said Thursday that the agency had little involvement and a Boeing official said some recommendations were ignored.

NASA intended to play a role in building and testing the carbon fibre hull. But the COVID-19 pandemic prevented NASA from fulfilling its role, other than consulting on a one-third scale mockup, not the submersible Titan that imploded while attempting to go to the Titanic wreckage, said Justin Jackson, a materials engineer for NASA.

At one point, Jackson said NASA balked at allowing its name to be invoked by OceanGate. 鈥淭he language they were using was getting too close to us endorsing, so our folks had some heartburn,鈥 he told a Coast Guard panel.

Boeing was involved in an early feasibility study of the use of carbon fibre for Titan's hull and in OceanGate's acoustic sensors on the hull, but OceanGate departed from recommendations on the hull thickness and orientation of carbon fibre layers for greatest strength, said Mark Negley, material and process engineer at Boeing.

Rush was among the five people who died when the submersible imploded in June 2023.

The Coast Guard opened a public hearing earlier this month that is part of a high-level investigation into the cause of the implosion. Coast Guard officials noted at the start of the hearing that the submersible had not been independently reviewed, as is standard practice. That and Titan鈥檚 unusual design subjected it to scrutiny in the undersea exploration community.

John Winters, a Coast Guard marine inspector in Washingon state, testified that Rush railed against regulations that he said stifled innovation but also noted that Rush did not attempt to circumvent any Coast Guard regulations.

He testified Thursday that he was familiar with two other OceanGate submersibles before learning that the company had created a new submersible that could go deeper to reach Titanic. Winters said he was not aware that Oceangate ever notified the Coast Guard of its construction or requested a Coast Guard guidance or inspection.

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 get into about what standards it was built to, who built it. None of that was discussed,鈥 Winters said. 鈥淚t was just, 'Hey, we have a submarine. It鈥檚 good for 4,000 meters. We have a submarine to do that now,鈥" he said.

The hearing is expected to run through Friday and include more witnesses.

Earlier in the hearing, former OceanGate operations director David Lochridge said he frequently clashed with Rush and felt the company was committed only to making money. 鈥淭he whole idea behind the company was to make money,鈥 Lochridge testified. 鈥淭here was very little in the way of science.鈥

Lochridge and other previous witnesses painted a picture of a company that was impatient to get its unconventionally designed craft into the water. The accident set off a worldwide debate about the future of private undersea exploration.

OceanGate, based in Washington state, suspended its operations after the implosion. The company has no full-time employees currently, but has been represented by an attorney during the hearing.

During the submersible鈥檚 final dive on June 18, 2023, the crew lost contact after an exchange of texts about Titan鈥檚 depth and weight as it descended, and concern grew on the support ship Polar Prince. One of the last messages from Titan鈥檚 crew before the submersible imploded stated, 鈥渁ll good here,鈥 the Coast Guard said.

When the submersible was reported overdue, rescuers rushed ships, planes and other equipment to an area about 435 miles (700 kilometres) south of St. John鈥檚, Newfoundland. Wreckage of the Titan was subsequently found on the ocean floor about 330 yards (300 metres) off the bow of the Titanic, Coast Guard officials said. No one on board survived.

OceanGate said it has been fully cooperating with the Coast Guard and NTSB investigations since they began. Titan had been making voyages to the Titanic wreckage site going back to 2021.

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

For decades, Melven Jones couldn鈥檛 talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn鈥檛 even remember it.

The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.

A strike by grain terminal workers at the Port of Metro Vancouver has ended, their employer announced Friday night.

Canada

  • A man has died after being stabbed at a residence in north Scarborough on Saturday evening, police say.

  • For decades, Melven Jones couldn鈥檛 talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn鈥檛 even remember it.

  • Members of the Southern Georgian Bay OPP and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) are sounding the alarm on a rising number of online and phone scams targeting residents.

  • On Broughdale Ave, barricades kept students to the sidewalks, and on Huron, officers kept directing the young people away from the middle of the road for emergency vehicles.

  • The Pride crosswalk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been hit by vandalism for the second time in less than three months.

  • Vancouver police officers took a goat into custody Friday night.

World

Politics

Health

Sci-Tech

Entertainment

Business

Lifestyle

Sports

Autos

  • A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

  • A U.S. driver somehow squeezed her vehicle through a parkade hallway at a Metro Vancouver casino Thursday, before getting stuck at an elevator bank.

Local Spotlight

A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

When a group of B.C. filmmakers set out on a small fishing boat near Powell River last week, they hoped to capture some video for a documentary on humpback whales. What happened next blew their minds.

A pizza chain in Edmonton claims to have the world's largest deliverable pizza.

Sarah McLachlan is returning to her hometown of Halifax in November.

Wayne MacKay is still playing basketball twice at Mount Allison University at 87 years old.

A man from a small rural Alberta town is making music that makes people laugh.

An Indigenous artist has a buyer-beware warning ahead of Sept. 30, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

Police are looking to the public for help after thieves broke into a Lethbridge ice creamery, stealing from the store.

An ordinary day on the job delivering mail in East Elmwood quickly turned dramatic for Canada Post letter carrier Jared Plourde. A woman on his route was calling out in distress.

  • A man was found dead in a home in the Ditidaht First Nation on Vancouver Island Saturday morning, prompting local council to ask residents to shelter in place.

  • For decades, Melven Jones couldn鈥檛 talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn鈥檛 even remember it.

  • A Vancouver man has paid $337,500 to the B.C. Securities Commission as part of an insider trading settlement, the financial regulator announced Friday.

  • A man has died after being stabbed at a residence in north Scarborough on Saturday evening, police say.

  • Thousands of dead birds, from kingfishers to blue jays, encircle a wild turkey to illustrate in one snapshot a mere fragment of how many die from colliding into glass windows 鈥 a death that can be easily prevented, the Torontonian photographer says.

  • A man has been taken to the hospital after walking into a restaurant in Toronto鈥檚 west end late Saturday afternoon with stab wounds.

  • A child was sent to hospital after being attacked by a coyote in northwest Calgary.

  • Alberta's premier spoke to calls for an outside, independent investigation into the death of Jon Wells during an incident involving Calgary police last week.

  • A Calgary city councillor's plea to have permanent residents be given the right to vote in municipal elections, an idea long dismissed by Premier Danielle Smith as unconstitutional, has been defeated.

  • The victim has been identified as Chanel Charette, 33.

  • The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.

  • The federal holiday on Sept. 30 will bring some schedule changes in Ottawa as Canada marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

  • World Wrestling Entertainment Hall-of-Famer Maurice "Mad Dog" Vachon is the inspiration for a local wrestling production company that will bear his name host events on Montreal's West Island to raise money and create memories for sick children.

  • A commemorative rally marking the fourth anniversary of Joyce Echaquan鈥檚 death will take place in Ville-Marie on Saturday afternoon.

  • Members of Montreal鈥檚 Maghrebi community are gathering in a city park this afternoon to sound the alarm about what they call the 鈥渟courge鈥 of street gangs recruiting youth to carry out criminal acts.

  • A man has been charged with second-degree murder in the killing of 25-year-old Wyatt Omeasoo in 2023.

  • A person is in hospital after a hit-and-run crash involving a stolen motorcycle in Grande Prairie early Saturday morning.

  • Alberta鈥檚 government is getting pushback from some municipal leaders and support from others over its plan to build the sheriffs into a second provincial police service.

  • Communities that suffered total losses in Hammonds Plains, N.S., and Upper Tantallon, N.S., in the 2023 wildfire received a donation of trees from Northern Pulp on Saturday.

  • Education and infrastructure were the focus of promises made on the tenth day of New Brunswick鈥檚 provincial election campaign.

  • RCMP Halifax Regional Detachment say they have charged a man with multiple offences, including assaulting a peace officer with a weapon, following a disturbance in Beaver Bank, N.S.

  • As the temperatures begin to drop and the leaves change colour, the time for fall suppers has returned in Manitoba.

  • Hundreds gathered in Winnipeg鈥檚 Memorial Park Saturday afternoon in a solemn ceremony honouring the lives of fallen firefighters.

  • A beloved annual celebration of arts and culture returns to city streets Saturday night.

  • The Town of Lumsden held their ninth annual Scarecrow festival Saturday.

  • The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.

  • Minister of Health Everett Hindley wrote to healthcare provider unions on Friday inviting them to join a nursing task force, something the government previously said no to.

  • It鈥檚 homecoming weekend for many students and alumni and preparations are underway to ensure it鈥檚 a safe celebratory weekend.

  • People in Guelph may notice a new addition at the entrance to Franchetto Park in Guelph.

  • The Kitchener Rangers returned to the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium on Friday to the roar of thousands of eager fans.

  • Saskatchewan RCMP says the man who sustained injuries from a serious assault earlier this month has died in hospital.

  • The Saskatchewan Roughriders moved into second place in the CFL's West Division with a 29-16 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday.

  • Minister of Health Everett Hindley wrote to healthcare provider unions on Friday inviting them to join a nursing task force, something the government previously said no to.

  • A tale about a taxicab hauling gold and sinking through the ice on Larder Lake, Ont., in December 1937 has captivated a man from that town for decades.

  • The CEO of the Ottawa Mission is responding to controversial comments made this week by Premier Doug Ford about those living in homeless encampments that received swift blowback from advocates.

  • On Broughdale Ave, barricades kept students to the sidewalks, and on Huron, officers kept directing the young people away from the middle of the road for emergency vehicles.

  • VIDEO

    VIDEO

    For 28 years, motorcycle riders have gathered at Hully Gully in London, Ont. to raise money for the Children鈥檚 Health Foundation (CHF) and enjoy a fall ride.

  • The town of Aylmer might be getting a little bit larger - it's considering expanding boundaries to include more land, and they鈥檙e holding a meeting on Thursday

  • Huntsville OPP is investigating a two-vehicle collision Friday afternoon that resulted in the death of a motorcycle driver.

  • Midland Fire Service, Southern Georgian Bay OPP and County of Simcoe paramedics responded to an early Saturday morning fire at a residence in Midland, which sent one person to hospital.

  • Two drivers were charged after a vehicle struck a house in northern Barrie Friday evening.

  • Windsor Fire Service is on the scene of a house fire in South Windsor this morning. A single-family dwelling was reported to have been the location of an early morning fire.

  • A collision on Friday evening has resulted in charges for a 32-year-old Lakeshore Resident.

  • Students looking for work while they study had an opportunity to scope out the local employment scene on Wednesday when St. Clair College held its second annual part time job fair.

  • A man was found dead in a home in the Ditidaht First Nation on Vancouver Island Saturday morning, prompting local council to ask residents to shelter in place.

  • For decades, Melven Jones couldn鈥檛 talk about what happened to him as a child. He didn鈥檛 even remember it.

  • Almost 200 pages of research on the B.C. Conservative Party, which sources within BC United confirm were compiled by their party before it dropped out of the British Columbia election campaign to support its former rival, have come back to haunt the new alliance.

  • Fire crews in Vernon, B.C., responded to a large house fire early Saturday morning.

  • A pair of runaway pigs are in the custody of an animal sanctuary in the Okanagan after evading police and volunteers for hours earlier this week.

  • The Red Bridge, a historic landmark in Kamloops, B.C., was completely destroyed by fire early Thursday morning.

  • The sentencing for three men convicted of helping lead and coordinate the COVID-19 protest blockade at Coutts, Alta., in 2022 has been delayed.

  • A 10-year-old boy from Lethbridge is being praised as a hero after a routine summer outing at the pool nearly turned tragic for his friend.

  • A man and woman have been charged after a Lethbridge ice creamery was broken into earlier this week. Staff arrived at Cookie Crimes, in the 300 block of Sixth Street South, just before 5:30 a.m. on Monday to discover the front window broken.

  • Sault residents may notice some commotion on the Algoma University campus over the next two weeks as a team conducts an archaeological search.

  • The Pride crosswalk in downtown Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., has been hit by vandalism for the second time in less than three months.

  • Despite a lead at mid-game in front of a near-capacity home crowd, the Sudbury Wolves dropped their first game of their OHL regular season to Barrie, 3-1.

N.L.

Shopping Trends

The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 麻豆传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

Stay Connected
Follow 麻豆传媒