Liquid hydrocarbons? That sounds like the sort of stuff we can run our cars on!

What are the logistics involved in getting a pipeline up there?

Lakes of hydrocarbon? Hydrocarbon is oil, isn't it? Lakes of oil just waiting to be syphoned off?

Expect GWB to issue a call to congress to allow sucking on Titan.

Was that by any chance done by finding an image of a lake on Google and then putting a red filter on it in Photoshop?

Try harder. You could at least have written "GASEOUS METHANE FAIL" across the bottom.

-184 degrees eh?

Blimey! That'd sort the men out from the boys.

What an impressive photo I thought till I clicked on the link to the NASA site where in its full glory, is disappointingly titled "Artist concept".

NASA announced today that they had proven hydrocarbon reserves which far exceeded that of all of the oil majors combined. A spokesman said that although the reserves would be "challenging" to exploit, it was clear that with the increasing price of oil, the organisation's future was assured. OPEC declined to comment.

NASA shares closed up 30% on the announcement.

they didn't notice this before invading Iraq. It would have saved a few bob and quite a few lives.

Dubya announces Bruce Willis to head first Nasa mission to Saturn complete with hand-picked team of drillers, erm, astronauts.

>Expect GWB to issue a call to congress to allow sucking on Titan.

Just send him to Titan personally. Everyone knows GWB sucks wherever he is.

This means that it is no longer a requirement for probes, and other space faring craft to carry all the fuel they need.

It is reasonable(?) to be able to send a craft to Titan/Saturn and DESIGN in a return trip; DESIGN in a stop by for a 'top up' for extended exploration of the Saturn (or other) systems.

Of course SF stories talk about fly-bys of gas giants to scoop Hydrogen from the top of their atmospheres for fuel, and an un-manned craft *might* be able to do this - BUT - our gas giants have a sufficiently large gravitational pull, and electrical/radio/radiation emissions that it would seem more likely to to lose the craft.

Titan is a much smaller world and therefore has a much smaller gravitational well,

and (as far as I know) no, or FAR FAR less emissions, making close approach reasonable.

I doubt that a "pipe-line" from Titan to Earth would ever be financially reasonable - but it might be useful for extended trips around the solar system

Problem is: The probe would still need to carry the oxidiser.

And here's me, apparently the only one who read this article that would have the presence of mind to ask the simple question...

Where did they come from?

It is my understanding that hydrocarbons are created by decaying biological matter on earth. If that is the case here then we have an interesting pointer to life outside our own planet. If the hydrocarbons have been created by another means, equally interesting source of potential fuel production technology which doesn't depend on drilling holes in the ground...

With a new lake expanse to conquer we have two challengers.

Russia with their Mir-1 and Mir-2 submersibles

vrs

JonB and his brick....

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/29/baikal_descent/

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/popup?id=3731241

Where's the "US journalism going to Hell in a handbasket" icon?

A fly-by and scoop is feasible because it relies on the gravitational energy of the planet and the velocity of the craft. A land on the surface and deploy large pipe, that however is nigh on impossible.

We can, most of the time' manage to land probes, but then refuel (with a fuel that they don't even use) and take off again, no, that's a stupid idea.

or failing that, use those black holes we're about to start creating - charge 'em up,

shove 'em out to Titan & adjust its orbit so it spirals in close, we end up with a 2nd moon so we get to save on energy for street lighting as well