Mission which American astronauts are preparing for as it is taken from the U.S. film “Armageddon.” A team of astronauts will land on an asteroid to explore its surface, find exploitable minerals and learn how to destroy it in the future if they represented a threat to the planet Earth.

                                
NASA will send astronauts further than ever on the asteroid which is almost five million kilometers away from our planet. The asteroid travels around the sun at a speed of about 80,000 kilometers per hour and it have small mass and has no gravity, so a safe landing on such a piece of rock will be a significant challenge for the pilots. Duration of the mission is estimated at about one year, and astronauts would be on an asteroid up to 30 days.

The training program begins next month, and all potential members of the crew will have to learn to operate the vehicle, walk on the surface of the asteroid and collect samples from its surface. Everything will take place in an underwater base near Florida, where six astronauts will spend 12 days under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean where it will be a simulated low gravity, similar one on the asteroid.

The primary objective of the mission will be the type of research to learn more of the origins of the universe and collect various minerals, but the experience gained in the asteroid will be invaluable if found similar boulder in the universe that threatens to collide with our planet. NASA currently has more than 400 objects in the universe that are a potential threat, but most of them belong to the group of low risk.

Later in 1868 Plimsoll became the liberal member of parliament for Derby and tried to get a bill passed to make sure that every ship had a safe water line painted into their hulls. The main problem Plimsoll had with this bill was that many MP’s in parliament at that time had their own ships and obviously did not want the hassle of having to adjust their ships to keep them legally seaworthy. A few years later Plimsoll published a book called “Our Seamen” that helped to get a government bill drawn up a year later.

However, it was then later announced that the bill was to be dropped causing Plimsoll to lose his temper and call the people of the house “villains.” He later apologised for this but other people agreed with him that the bill had been dropped due to pressure from ship owners and the Government was eventually forced to amend the “Merchant Shipping Act” to allow the board of trade to inspect the waterline of ships, from then on ship owners had to have a Plimsoll mark or line on the hull of their ship with the maximum safe water line.

• TF – Tropical Fresh Water
• F – Fresh Water
• T – Tropical Seawater
• S – Summer Temperate Seawater
• W – Winter Temperate Seawater
• WNA – Winter North Atlantic

Word of the new photo caused Yahoo! searches to surge on “titanic remains,” “real titanic pictures underwater,” and “titanic may hold passengers.”

Dr. James P. Delgado, the director of the Maritime Heritage Museum at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration told Yahoo News over the phone that the way the boots are placed together makes a “compelling case” that they belonged to a body.

The scientist, who was responsible for mapping the shipwreck during a 2010 expedition for NOAA, says that the image was rereleased in its full form (it was originally published to show only one boot) to serve as  a reminder that the ship is an “underwater resting place” and needs to be better protected and respected.

The newly published image was first reported by the New York Times—which also noted that not all Titanic experts agree there are bodies at the site of the wreckage, first discovered in 1985. James Cameron, who directed the movie “Titanic,” and has explored the site multiple times, said he’s never seen human remains: “We’ve seen shoes. We’ve seen pairs of shoes, which would strongly suggest there was a body there at one point. But we’ve never seen any human remains.”

Delgado said that the issue is more one of “semantics.” The researcher said of Cameron, “He’s seen the pairs of shoes and clothing that’s down there, and so when he sees that, perhaps he’s not seeing what we see as archeologists.” He added, “When I see shoes together I see someone who came to rest.” Delgado added that when Titanic finder Robert Ballard first showed the photo in 2004, “the room went silent.” He said the explorers who looked at it could tell it had once been a lost soul from the ship.

A bill introduced by Sen.  John Kerry would amend the Titanic Maritime Memorial Act of 1986 to protect the wreck from salvage and intrusive research. But since the ocean liner sank in international waters after hitting an iceberg on April 14, 1912, there are limits to what the U.S. can do.

One thing that is in Delgado’s power:  to raise awareness of the undersea site, which he believes should be treated as a museum—and as hallowed ground. Noting that many of the ship’s passengers were on their way to the U.S. to become American citizens, he said,”There are some places that are so special we should take a different approach. “

also read:  EXCLUSIVE NEW IMAGES OF TITANIC

http://socyberty.com/history/exclusive-new-images-of-titanic/

While there’s some controversy concerning the photos, consultants believe they are doing show where people that were aboard the doomed ship were laid to rest in their watery graves. Titanic director James Cameron insists that he never saw human remains on his over thirty visits to tour the wreckage. However, the director of maritime heritage at the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration James Delgado believes that the photos do show Titanic human remains.

Delgado said, “I as an archaeologist would say those are human remains. Buried in that sediment are terribly doubtless forensic remains of that person.” If nothing else, the newly released photos show a wierd and compelling read of 1 of the world’s most famous doomed voyages.

The photos, captured in 2004, were snapped by the founding father of the Titanic shipwreck Robert Ballard. does one believe they’re photos of human remains from the shipwreck that killed 1517 people? Did you are doing something this weekend to mark the voyage’s one centesimal anniversary?

The event took place at a moment of silence on a luxury cruise ship “Azamara Journey” who tried to follow the cruise line to the location of the sinking of the Titanic.

A total of 440 passengers on the ship followed by the solemn proceedings. The atmosphere more quiet when the names of the victims read out and displayed on a screen in front of the room.
Captain of the ship makes passengers caught up in the atmosphere100 years ago by sending an SOS signal sent dangers like the Titanic.

On Azamara cruise ships, passenger imagination was deliberately brought to the moment when the White Star Line’s ship will sink. Not just fashion a customized passenger in his time, but also entertainment, luxury and dinner a la Titanic.

100 years ago, exactly 15 April 1912, Royal Mail Ship or Vessel RMS Titanic sank in Britain’s North Atlantic Ocean, due to hit the iceberg in its maiden voyage. The ship departed from Southhampton, England, to New York, United States. A total of1514 people were killed in the tragedy which was considered as the most deadly maritime disasters in history

RMS Titanic set sail to leave Southampton, England, with the goal of New York City, United States (U.S.), which was first performed on 10 April 1912. In the journey, the ship with a 269 meter long and 28 meters wide, across the Atlantic.

Catastrophe occurred on 15 April 1912, when a cruise ship weighing 46 328 tonnes are hit an iceberg in the Atlantic Ocean. Starboard side of a hole at the bottom. This hole turns out to be fatal, because it led to five watertight compartments leak.

Condition of the vessel which was capable of carrying 2435 passengers and 892 crew members were getting worse because of the five compartments filled with water. With four watertight compartments are leaking, Titanic certainly will not survive.

Leaking five watertight compartments are dashed hopes the ship will survive.
After two hours and forty minutes Titanic struck an iceberg, the ship’s position that White Star Line was the position of the front deck was under water. The bow section was located at the top to show a large propeller.

After some time later the ship was split in two between the third and fourth chimneys due to the pressure. Promptly at 14:20 local time, the ship sinks and separate from the bow.

Malapateka to happen to the passengers. Most of those who fell into the water exposed to temperatures of minus 2 degrees Celsius. Nearly all the passengers and crew died of hypothermia or drowning suffer, even hit the bow of the ship broke down when cut in half.

20 ships lifeboat provided an optimal unable to rescue the passengers. As a result, a total of 1514 people lost their lives due to the terrible giant ship.

Now, there are a variety of the 100th anniversary of the sinking Titanic. One of them carried out by the MS Balmoral cruise that set sail to follow the potato’s legendary yacht. Balmoral also depart from Southampton, carrying 1309 passengers. Among the passengers there were families of victims of the sinking Titanic.

They do the trail in order to feel the breath of the cruise ship lines. Philip Littlejohn, grandson of survivors from the crash incident Alexander James Littlejohn, believes his grandfather would be proud to see this warning.

“I believe my grandfather who was a sailor RMS Titanic, will be proud to see the history shared with other passengers in this voyage,” Philip said as quoted by the Daily Mail, Tuesday (10/03/2012). But his voyage was delayed for two hours due to high waves at sea.

Semeriah any warnings made for Titanic cruise, one thing that should be a concern that sea travel is still not safe, after the sinking ship that is captained by Edward Smith.

Currently, cruise ships generally have a larger size of the Titanic. However, although equipped with sophisticated navigation technology, the dangers of sea travel is still haunting.

Example, 31 January, the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia sank off the coast of Italy. The incident led to 31 passengers were killed. Costa incident, raises the question whether the safety demands no less rapidly with the creation of a magnificent yacht, luxury giant.

Accidents experienced by cruise ships of today are also causing revenue loss from the cruise ship operator. Costa Concordia operator, Carnival and rival Royal Caribbean Cruises reported their earnings decline sharply due to accidents.

Cruise International Association (CLIA) to defend himself on the current marine safety factor. According to them, for 10 years before the incident Costa, only 28 people were reportedly killed by a yacht cruise. 22 of whom were crew members.

However, it does require that the international industrial safety audit of this sailboat industry. They urged that the safety factor is always improved. All parties do not want the Titanic incident reoccur.

Titanic: Image via Wikipedia

The Titanic is a never-ending source of interest. Everyone knows the tale of the Titanic. The legendary unsinkable Royal Mail Steamship that sank to the depths of the North Atlantic on the 15th April 1912 taking many of her passengers and crew with her.

Being a never-ending source of interest, there will always be new research into her untimely demise as well as reassessment of standard theories and data.

The Moon….

In the year 1912, the moon was the closest it was to earth in 1400 years. The sun and moon were lined up and the earth had been its closed to the sun the day before, January 3. It is thought that this extra lunar pull caused a super-high spring tide that set off a large number of icebergs in the January of that year. Icebergs were dislodged from the shallow waters off Labrador and Newfoundland which filled the shipping lanes of the Atlantic. There were said to be so many bergs that rescue ships had to slow down when reaching the stricken Titanic. Normally, icebergs do not move southward until they have melted sufficiently or a very high tide floats them.

“The event January 4 was the closest approach of the Moon to the Earth in more than 1,400 years, and it maximized the Moon’s tide-raising forces on Earth’s oceans. That’s remarkable,” said Professor Donald Olson, of Texas State University in Sky & Telescope magazine. “As icebergs travel south, they often drift into shallow water and pause along the coasts of Labrador and Newfoundland. But an extremely high spring tide could re-float them, and the ebb tide would carry them back out into the Labrador Current where the icebergs would resume drifting southward. That could explain the abundant icebergs in the spring of 1912. We don’t claim to know exactly where the Titanic iceberg was in January 1912 – nobody can know that – but this is a plausible scenario. Of course, the ultimate cause of the accident was that the ship struck an iceberg. The Titanic failed to slow down, even after having received several wireless messages warning of ice ahead. They went full speed into a region with icebergs – that’s really what sank the ship, but the lunar connection may explain how an unusually large number of icebergs got into the path of the Titanic.”

Mr. Murdoch….

In 1903, when Murdoch was stationed on the Arabic, he made the decision to maintain course rather than turn and the Arabic just missed another ship.

A reappraisal of the original 1912 Wreck Commission inquiry in the light of all the research and evidence that has emerged since has reached new conclusions that overturns the verdict of the original inquiry. It is now believed that if Murdoch, the First Officer in charge of the Titanic, had been 30 seconds faster in giving the order to change the ship’s course after the iceberg had been spotted, history may have been different. The original verdict was that Murdoch steered away immediately but iceberg had been spotted too late for the Titanic to avoid collision.

In 1912, the Wreck Commission decided that the iceberg was about 1,500ft ahead of the ship when it was spotted and that the collision followed 37 seconds later. The Committee said that the ship’s course was changed “almost instantaneously” after the lookout bell was rung the requisite three times and the bridge telephoned. However now it is thought Murdoch did not give the order “hard a starboard” immediately as he may have thought that the risk of changing course might have been more dangerous.

However, the latest research establishes an exact time-line of the seconds before the collision, which reveals the iceberg was spotted when 2,000ft off – almost a minute before the impact – and that the ship held its course for around half of that time. New research has examined the testimony of Frederick Fleet, the lookout, Robert Hichens, the sailor who was holding the steering wheel, and Albert Oliver, who left his post when he first heard the bells and reached the bridge just as the ship struck the iceberg, which took him approximately a minute. Reassessment of technical data demonstrates that the Titanic had been turning from the potential head-on collision withe berg for only 20 seconds, insufficient time to avoid the ice.

Titanic expert Samuel Halpern has said, “If the First Officer had reacted sooner – maybe even 15 seconds sooner – the ship would have missed. I believe it was a delay so he could see whether the ship was going to miss the iceberg without the need for turning. It was a judgment call. And he misjudged. I don’t think we can blame him. The First Officer was correct in trying to ascertain whether the ship was going to miss the iceberg by itself, which would have been the best approach, as [steering away] could have meant it hit further back.”

To compound the accident of the day 1912, ships were being converted from sail to steam and with that change came a change in directional orders. The Tiller Orders of sail and the Rudder Orders of steam were opposite to each other; different members of the Titanic’s crew knew one or the other. “Hard a starboard” meant right under Tiller and lest under Rudder. When Murdoch ordered Quartermaster Hitchens to turn the ship “hard a-starboard, he turned her right when Murdoch meant left. Murdoch had Hitchens correct the turn but it was too late. (Personally, I thought starboard still meant “right”.)

The accident was again compounded by Ismay, chairman of the White Star Line, telling Captain Smith to continue sailing for ten minutes, flooding the hull and sinking the Titanic.

And Mr. Lightoller.

Second Officer Lightroller, one of the few officers to survive, lied to the commission that investigated the Titanic’s sinking to protect reputations and the White Star Line. It has to do with a key, that was not there. The key for the locker that contained the crow’s nest binoculars was not passed to Lighroller by Second Officer Blair, whom he replaced. The binoculars may have made the difference in spotting the iceberg in time. Lightroller appears to have lied about what really happened that night in regards to the key and the events on the bridge.

Human arrogance, human error and the forces of nature led in 1912 to the deaths of thousands and the birth of a legend.

Titanic myths corrected in the Report into the loss of the SS Titanic: A Centennial Reappraisal:

-no ship could have survived as long as she did

-her rudder was big enough to turn her sharply

-binoculars were used to evaluate iceberg threats not to search for them

-a steering error caused the collision

-the crew and passengers would have been saved if the ship had stayed put

See also: http://socyberty.com/history/the-titanics-misfortunes/

http://noticias.univision.com/mundo/noticias-curiosas/slideshow/2012-03-09/mitos-leyendas-titanic-a-un-siglo-hundimiento-centenario?ftloc=homepage1:wcmWidgetUimHomepageStage&ftpos=homepage1:wcmWidgetUimHomepageStage:5

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2110842/Did-MOON-sink-Titanic-New-study-suggests-freak-tidal-event-caused-icebergs-shipping-lanes-100-years-ago.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/9126116/Titanic-disaster-blamed-on-Moon.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/8933109/The-30-seconds-that-sank-the-Titanic-fatal-delay-in-order-to-change-course-doomed-liner.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8016752/Titanic-sunk-by-steering-blunder-new-book-claims.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/8016751/The-truth-about-the-sinking-of-the-Titanic.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1561604/Key-that-could-have-saved-the-Titanic.html

RMS Titanic (Photo credit: paukrus)

   A newly discovered species of bacteria sinks slowly but surely the rust consumes 50,000 tons of ironwho still fall composition cruise ship sank. Now, experts believe that the invasive group of microorganisms will eventually cause complete decomposition of wreckage at a depth of 3,700 meters into the ocean.

Identified by DNA tests, bacteria – Halomonas Titania – was discovered in layers of rust Titanic grabbed the metal structure over the past century from its sinking in 1912. These bodies should eat iron rust and therefore under the North Atlantic waters.

The bacterium was discovered in the wreck rust collected by a research team in 1991. Scientists began their analysis in 1995, but only in the last few years DNA technology has progressed far enough bacteria to be isolated and studied fully. Its destructive tendencies mean that delicate rust particles will eventually disintegrate into fine powder blending with salt ocean.

Due to inadequate maritime safety laws at the time, the Titanic carried an insufficient number of lifeboats that furthermore weren’t even filled to capacity due to the rigid application of a “women and children first” policy. Out of the 2,200 people on board there were only 710 survivors that were later picked up from their lifeboats by the nearby RMS Carpathia. The sinking of the world’s most advanced passenger liner on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York was a severe blow to the presumably unstoppable advances of mankind. But ultimately the disaster improved martime safety through the establishment of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), which governs maritime safety up to this day.

On the 100th anniversary of the Titanic the Australian Perth Mint is commemorating one of the most famous ships of history with a special coin. The beautifully designed reverse of the 1 oz sivler coin is depicting the RMC Titanic as seen on an original White Star Line poster.

Silver is ideally suited for memorial coins. The precious metal has been used a real money since ancient times and has kept its inerent value even when currencies are inflated or devalued. Silver is also at a reasonable price level to make memorial coins affordable to common folk.

The special Titanic 1 ounze coin is minted in proof quality 99.9% silver and is supplied with a numbered certificate of authenticity. The coin is housed in a beautiful presentation packaging case. Mintage is extremely limited to a maximum of 5000 coins. The remarkable Titanic coin is available directly from the Perth Mint’s website for a very reasonable price.

RMS Titanic: Image by paukrus via Flickr

Everyone knows the tale of the Titanic. The legendary unsinkable Royal Mail Steamship that sank to the depths of the North Atlantic on the 15th April 1912 taking many of her passengers and crew with her. This event occurred courtesy of an iceberg, speed, design and super-refraction.

The Titanic was one of three sister ships, with the Olympic and Britannic, of the White Star Line. JP Morgan, the owner of the parent company of the White Star Line, asked Ismay to develop three Olympic class liners to compete against the new liners of their rival company Cunard: Lusitania and Mauretania.

The three sister ships were not to be constructed to be faster or larger than the Cunarders but to be grander. the Olympic class lines had 46 horse power and two turbines whilst the main competitor had 70 horsepower and 4 turbine propellers which gave the Cunarders 5 knots more in speed and and better manoeuvrability. Her 900 foot hull was divided into 16 compartments with watertight steel doors that could be locked automatically from the bridge. However the bulkheads, so as not to interfere with passengers decks, especially 1st class, were limited to 3 compartments.

After her rushed completion, the Titanic’s sea trial was a quick 12 hours off the Isle of Man. At the time of her maiden departure, there was a national coal strike, the 6000 tons of coal required by Titanic was taken form other liners, the Oceanic and the New York. However the coal in bunkers somehow caught fire in Belfast was still alight in Southampton. This fact was omitted when Titanic was given her Certificate of Clearance by the Board of Trade.

Captain Smith had been in charge of the Olympic, when he was made captain of the Titanic. Most of the Titanic’s crew came from the Olympic. He was a man with a list of accidents to his credit including running the Olympic into a ship called the Hawk.

In this 2012, the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the great ship, what have we learned about her untimely end?

Ice

The steamship Caronia had warned the Titanic of the coming ice field by sending many telegraph messages. It was not the only ship to give warning to the elegant vessel. The Baltic, the New Yorker, the Californian, the Amerika and even a tanker warned of heavy ice. At 11 pm, on the 14th April, the Californian sent iceberg warnings but was interrupted by the Titanic’s Morse code operator. There was an inadequate lookout crew on the night in question, looking for icebergs. When disaster hit, the Titanic sent out the international code fro a ship in distress, CQD. They also sent out the new code, the code we use today, SOS.

Speed

The captain, Edward Smith, was in a rush to reach New York City. It was a matter of prestige for the White Star Line and it was expected by the upper class clientele. He opted for the most northerly route, the shortest route across the North Atlantic, an area noted for its pack ice. Smith ordered a speed of 20 knots. Because of this speed, there was insufficient time to manoeuvre the vessel out of danger’s way. Ironically, if the Titanic had hit the berg on the bow, the bow would have simple crumpled and she would have still remained afloat long enough for the orderly evacuation and rescue of her passengers and crew. Also, if the Titanic had been sailing at a lower speed, there would have been time to reverse the engines and then proceed around the ice. They would have arrived in New York two days later … but alive.

Design

The design of the Titanic had flaws. It was probably the best design that the engineering minds of the time could create. When the Titanic met the iceberg, a gash was said to be the result. In reality it may have been that the rivets popped. The damage was a result of a combination of extreme cold and the quality of the steel and iron of the hull and rivets, which was the best in use at the time. The integrity of the hull was compromised with the pressure of the ice on fragile and cold rivets and hull plates. Even then, this state may have been fine except that the design of the watertight compartments was inadequate. There were five such compartments and four filled with the icy Atlantic waters because their walls did not reach the ceiling. Water poured from one to another and the hull reached it’s tipping point. Less than four compartments and the Titanic would have remained afloat. Again this was the common design in use at the time. When water flooded the 6 compartments, the Titanic had only 2 hours to live.

The davits for the lifeboats were of a new type, constructed to be lowered quickly and there were to be enough boats for all on board. Unfortunately, no official revision of the lifeboat rules passed prior to sailing by the Board of Trade. The Titanic sailed with only 16 boats, for less than 1/3 of the passengers. The first lifeboat to leave the stricken liner was half full.

Super-refraction

The Carpathia was 50 miles south of the stricken line, but on the horizon was another, unknown vessel. Titanic signalled to this ship, thinking it was within range. In reality the Californian was 18 miles north. Morse code emergency messages were transmitted to all ships within range of the Titanic but the California’s machine was off for the night. A Titanic crew member sent off flares but in an incorrect sequence leading the California to misinterpret the lights as not being an SOS. Even at 18 miles, the Californian was too far away to reach the Titanic before it sank. Some scientists now believe that a case of super-refraction led the Titanic’s crew to think that the mystery ship – the Californian – was near enough to save them. Super-refraction is the distortion of vision caused by extreme cold, a clear sky and the placid Atlantic’s reflection.

Aftermath

By the end of the disaster, 1522 passengers and crew were lost to the seas. The Titanic’s demise reset they standards for safety. The Olympic was refitted with sufficient lifeboats, extra bulkheads and a lining.

Human arrogance, human error and the forces of nature led in 1912 to the deaths of thousands and the birth of a legend.

In this 100th anniversary year of the Titanic, 2012, marked, unfortunately by the sinking of the Costa Concordia, what have we learned? we have learned that cruising still has its dangers and that safety protocols are still inadequate. We have learned that as clever as we are we are not as clever as we think we are.

See also: http://socyberty.com/history/more-theories-and-facts-on-the-titanics-misfortunes/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2124038/Did-poor-workmanship-sink-Titanic-Physicist-claims-missing-rivets-crucial-cascade-events-sank-liner.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2123474/Derelict-shipyard-Titanic-built-revitalised-100th-anniversary-sparkling-new-tourist-attraction.html

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2118103/Did-MIRAGE-sink-Titanic-New-research-finds-freak-weather-hidden-iceberg-late.html

Titanic’s near collision with the SS New York: Image via Wikipedia

April 10, 1912 departure: Image via Wikipedia

Captain Edward Smith: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:EJ_Smith.jpg

Titanic’s route: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:TitanicRoute.svg

The prime suspect as photographed by the chief steward of the liner “Prinze Adelbert” on April 15, 1912, when he noted a smear of red paint on its base. :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Titanic_iceberg.jpg  

Possible depiction of hull damage : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iceberg_and_titanic_(en).svg  

Titanic survivors on their way to the Carpathia: Image by The Library of Congress via Flickr