Extreme Ballooning -- on Titan

[Still Waters]

A small Oregon company is working with NASA to develop a balloon that could fly through the skies of Titan, Saturn's largest moon.

With its thick atmosphere and lakes filled with organic materials, Titan holds particular intrigue for scientists curious about how life began on Earth and whether it exists elsewhere in the solar system.But exploring Titan will not be easy.

The moon's skies are perpetually cloudy, blocking the view from orbit. Radar and infrared instruments can provide some details of what's below, but what scientists really covet is a mission that could explore Titan's diverse terrain in detail.

A balloon, says Jeffery Hall, with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., may be just the ticket.

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[27vet]

Exciting! That could work well. I hope I'm still around when the pictures come back.

[Khaleid]

Funny that they're gonna explore yet another celestial body with the first successful technology used for flying here on earth...

[NuclearImplosion]

Interesting how using modern interplanetary technology can be used to deliver a very simply old technology for exploration purposes. Would love to see it succeed!