NASA says it did NOT help manufacture or test Titan sub

NASA has distanced itself from OceanGate’s claims that it was involved in the development of the Titan submarine.

The agency said it only consulted remotely with the company that built and deployed Titan, and “has not issued any approval for the project.”

A NASA spokesperson clarified its role after OceanGate and its CEO, Stockton Rush, made several claims about how it’s “[worked] with NASA’ and used the agency’s logo in some of its promotional materials.

Boeing and the University of Washington have also denied any involvement in the design of the missing Titanic tourist submarine, despite OceanGate saying they played a role.

Titan disappeared during a dive to the Titanic wreck on Sunday morning and a huge international search found a ‘debris field’ on Thursday. The evidence points to a “catastrophic implosion” that killed all five people on board, including Rush.

The submarine, Titan, is depicted descending. It was the only five-person submarine that could reach the Titanic

NASA told DailyMail.com it had a Space Act agreement with OceanGate that allows it to work with an outside organization, and “consulted on materials and manufacturing processes for the submarine’.

But a spokesperson added, “NASA did not conduct testing and fabrication through its personnel or facilities, which OceanGate did elsewhere.”

OceanGate announced in February 2020 that it had partnered with NASA and that the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, would “serve as the facility where development and production of a new aerospace-grade hull will be completed.”

The work was described as “key to the completion of OceanGate’s latest Cyclops-class submarine,” believed to be a reference to Titan. But the pandemic hit a month later and thwarted the plan.

NASA said, “For the safety of our team members during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as limited resources and availability, NASA Marshall engineers only remotely participated in technical exchange meetings with OceanGate, providing guidance on materials and manufacturing processes based on industry standards .

“We did not provide approvals for the project as OceanGate was the technical authority.”

OceanGate Expeditions stated on its website that Titan was designed with the help of Boeing, the University of Washington and NASA.

The OceanGate submarine was designed by the company to travel nearly 4,000 feet below sea level to the wreckage of the Titanic — but “is not approved or certified by any regulatory body and could result in physical harm, emotional trauma or death.”

OceanGate and its CEO, Stockton Rush, made several claims about how it’s “[worked] with NASA’ and used the agency’s logo in some of its promotional materials

Boeing said it “was not a partner on the Titan and did not design or build it.”

The University of Washington also said it was not involved with Titan.

When Rush was questioned by CBS News last year about the submarine’s rudimentary conditions — it has one button, a camp store light and is controlled by a PlayStation-style controller — he insisted it was created in collaboration with experts.

“There are certain things you want buttoned up,” Rush said, insisting the submarine was safe.

“The pressure vessel is not a MacGyver at all, because we worked there with Boeing and NASA and the University of Washington.

“Everything else may fail, your thrusters may fail, your lights may fail. You’re still safe.’

The US Coast Guard and OceanGate Expeditions have confirmed the deaths of the five men on the missing Titan submarine, parts of which were discovered today on the ocean floor 500 meters from the bow of the famous ship they died trying to see.

The landing frame and tailgate of the missing submarine were discovered today by a remotely operated submarine in a devastating blow to any hope that the men are found alive.

It would mean that the submarine suffered a rupture and imploded under the underwater pressure, killing all five men on board instantly.

“The only saving grace is that it would have happened instantly, literally in milliseconds and the men would have no idea what was going on,” said David Mearns, a friend of two of the men on board, during an appearance on Sky News in the UK tonight.

He added, “My worst fears have now been realized.”

It brings a devastating development to the search, which US officials had emphatically categorized as a rescue – not a salvage mission.