According to Wikipedia, the RTG ended up in the Tonga Trench, which is up to 10 km deep. That would be a difficult recovery - a submersible would have to be purpose-built for that depth (most deep-sea submersibles only go to 4-5 km). The LM and SM burned up on reentry, the CM is in a museum.
Quote from: Hobbes-22 on 08/28/2016 09:01 amAccording to Wikipedia, the RTG ended up in the Tonga Trench, which is up to 10 km deep. That would be a difficult recovery - a submersible would have to be purpose-built for that depth (most deep-sea submersibles only go to 4-5 km). The LM and SM burned up on reentry, the CM is in a museum. In the Tonga Trench of all places. Was that somehow a deliberate choice? How much of the ocean is deeper than that, 1% or so?
Quote from: TakeOff on 08/28/2016 12:46 pmQuote from: Hobbes-22 on 08/28/2016 09:01 amAccording to Wikipedia, the RTG ended up in the Tonga Trench, which is up to 10 km deep. That would be a difficult recovery - a submersible would have to be purpose-built for that depth (most deep-sea submersibles only go to 4-5 km). The LM and SM burned up on reentry, the CM is in a museum. In the Tonga Trench of all places. Was that somehow a deliberate choice? How much of the ocean is deeper than that, 1% or so?Yes, it was deliberate. They wanted to ditch the RTG in the deepest trench they could find.
Quote from: DaveS on 08/28/2016 12:51 pmQuote from: TakeOff on 08/28/2016 12:46 pmQuote from: Hobbes-22 on 08/28/2016 09:01 amAccording to Wikipedia, the RTG ended up in the Tonga Trench, which is up to 10 km deep. That would be a difficult recovery - a submersible would have to be purpose-built for that depth (most deep-sea submersibles only go to 4-5 km). The LM and SM burned up on reentry, the CM is in a museum. In the Tonga Trench of all places. Was that somehow a deliberate choice? How much of the ocean is deeper than that, 1% or so?Yes, it was deliberate. They wanted to ditch the RTG in the deepest trench they could find.Interesting - are you implying that the return trajectory was timed for the RTG to end up in the trench? And that consumables for the crew were of "secondary" concern?