Elon Musk is sending a team of engineers from SpaceX and Boring Co to help rescue Thailand soccer team members that trapped in a cave. Musk has an idea for saving a dozen boys and their coach who stranded for more than two weeks.
From his serial tweets, Musk said the engineers from his two companies will heading to Thailand tomorrow (Saturday, July 6) to see if they can help the evacuation. Technicians could pump water through the cave and provide Tesla-made “Powerpack” battery packs to provide electricity to boost the pump rate, Musk said in his tweet.
SpaceX & Boring Co engineers headed to Thailand tomorrow to see if we can be helpful to govt. There are probably many complexities that are hard to appreciate without being there in person.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2018
“Boring Co has advanced ground penetrating radar and is pretty good at digging holes,” Musk said on Twitter. “Don’t know if pump rate is limited by electric power or pumps are too small. If so, could dropship fully charged Powerpacks and pumps.”
Boring Co has advanced ground penetrating radar & is pretty good at digging holes. Don’t know if pump rate is limited by electric power or pumps are too smal. If so, could dropship fully charged Powerpacks and pumps.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018
The boys, aged 11 to 16, are members of a local soccer team who were on a field trip with a coach. Heavy rains stranded them in the cave two weeks ago. Their disappearance sparked a massive search-and-rescue operation that managed to locate the group nine days after their disappearance.
But this discovery didn't mean the boys were out of danger. Continued rains could flood the part of the cave where they're stranded. And even if that doesn't happen, it could be months before the water drops enough for the boys to walk out. In their current situation, keeping the boys supplied with food and medical care is hazardous.
One diver has lost his life in the rescue effort so far, it emerged Friday, after losing consciousness in one of the cave’s passageways when his oxygen tank ran out. The concern is also mounting that the air inside the cave may not be fit to sustain life for much longer.
source:
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-06/elon-musk-sends-spacex-to-help-rescue-thai-soccer-team/9950934
- https://www.cnbc.com/2018/07/06/elon-musk-to-send-team-of-engineers-assist-thai-cave-rescue-mission.html
- https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/07/elon-musk-has-an-idea-for-saving-boys-stranded-in-a-thailand-cave/