Speaking as a non-billionaire, I would think they would do well limiting their extraordinary risk-taking to their area of expertise. But I suppose having a buttload of money gives one an unfounded sense of omniscience.
Ordering the Coast Guard to stand down, not our citizens, not our water. Also not live bodies. They easily wasted a couple of millions on a futile attempt.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65991651 Titan sub debris field: Parts of missing sub's cover found, expert says
I don't think so. Whatever and however we might feel about this expedition, I think it is the humanitarian thing to do.
They should have spent as much resources as they would when looking for the 5 possible survivors of a capsized Cuban immigrant boat. Not more, not less. Also, if you don't want government controlled safety standards, you don't get government rescue either. Ayn Rand forever!!! Anyhow, on the positive side: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65972686 This is an interesting story of a Russian submersible getting stuck in Titanic's propeller some 22 years ago. Viktor, the sub's pilot got it unstuck after 90 minutes of rocking it back and forth. Now that is some experience!! Viktor used to pilot a MIG figther plane, I mean what is the difference, right? ------------------------------------------------ Is it normal for a deep sea submarine to be made of carbon fiber? Not any more --------------------------------------------------- "Carbon fiber doesn't crumple. It splinters. It's very rigid and brittle with a low degree of plasticity. If it fails, it's going to fail catastrophically by cracking along the fiber layups. It's also very hard to do estimates of cyclic loading (like repeated pressurization and depressurization) on carbon fiber composites. Things start to unwind at the microscopic level, and very very suddenly go from micro to macro once a certain threshold of stability is passed.. A carbon fiber pressure vessel will do its job incredibly well holding up against a shit ton of static loading for a very long time. However, a sharp sudden impact or degradation by environmental damage is way less survivable for a composite structure - any sort of delamination, fiber breakage, etc will very rapidly destabilize the fiber-resin matrix that is doing the load handing. From a safety perspective, crumpling is good. It's why cars crumple when they crash. The folding/bending of the metal when it is struck dissipates impact forces. Carbon fiber doesn't do this. It goes bang."
Good post, but I have a bit of a bone to pick with you on this part. Although your conclusion sounds reasonable, where and how do you draw the line? If someone exceeds the speed limit and crashes his car because he didn’t observe safety standards (speed limit), does that mean he doesn’t get help (jaws of life, fire extinguishing, medical attention)?
Canadians are too risk averse OK, with polar bears I'd be risk averse too but sometimes you just go f-it! let's climb into an experimental sub that lots of experts say is dangerously untested... Let's assume they didn't know that last part.
At the Libertarian Utopia. If cryptobros don't want oversight, fine. But don't come to the US justice system when your Bahama based broker gets "hacked" and all your money is gone. If a submarine company operating on international waters gets into trouble, pay the cost of the search BEFORE we send out the first rescue boat. That is what libertarianism is all about. (and Ayn Rand died on social security)