Some of you might have heard that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that he had dispatched teams from SpaceX and Boring Co to Thailand, where they would lend their assistance in rescuing the 12 boys and their soccer coach who are trapped inside a cave. Musk has been tweeting out some idea and it looks like he might have come up with a solution.
According to one of Musk’s tweets, he says that based on the feedback that he’s gotten, he thinks that a kid-sized submarine using liquid oxygen could be how they will be able to extract the boys from the cave. One of the problems faced by rescuers is that the boys do not know how to dive, and the path leading out of the cave is said to be complicated even for seasoned professionals.
Got more great feedback from Thailand. Primary path is basically a tiny, kid-size submarine using the liquid oxygen transfer tube of Falcon rocket as hull. Light enough to be carried by 2 divers, small enough to get through narrow gaps. Extremely robust.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 7, 2018
The next problem is time, where due to it being monsoon season in Thailand where it rains almost everyday, the water levels in the cave are rising which means that it is a race against time to try and extract the boys and their coach ASAP. When asked how long this submarine would take to manufacture, Musk replied by saying that he estimates construction should take 8 hours, followed by a 17 hour flight to Thailand, meaning that it will take a little over a day before rescuers can start using it.
Construction complete in about 8 hours, then 17 hour flight to Thailand
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 7, 2018
It is unclear if Musk’s solution will work, but we suppose any and all help is appreciated. Plus given that Musk is known for his “out-there” work, perhaps this is what is necessary to help bring everyone home safe and sound.
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