Titan, the submersible craft that went missing with its crew Saturday near the site of the sunken Titanic, was developed with the help of engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville.
The company “worked in consultation with a team of engineers at (NASA Marshall) in Huntsville, Alabama throughout the development and manufacturing of Titan, the world’s only carbon fiber and titanium submersible capable of carrying five crew members to the wreck of the RMS Titanic at 3,800 meters,”
OceanGate Expeditions of Everett, Wash., said in a March 9, 2022 announcement. “This achievement marks the beginning of a new era of exploration offering a vast range of opportunities for deep-sea investigation and scientific research.”
The deal worked for both sides because NASA wants strong, light and inflatable vehicles that can survive the vacuum of space on the long voyages to Mars, and OceanGate wants vehicles can survive the pressure of the ocean depths.
The two signed their partnership agreement on Feb. 26, 2020.