Musk working on kid-size submarine for Thai cave rescue mission
Last month, a team of 12 young soccer players and its coach went missing in the flooded Tham Luang cave complex in Thailand, and recently, Elon Musk offered to help rescue the trapped players. Now, Musk's rocket company SpaceX is working with cave experts in Thailand to build a "tiny, kid-size submarine" in an attempt to free the group.
On to the deadly rescue mission
The submarine will be built in eight hours
When asked if the submarine would be ready before rains flood the cave, Musk said that it needs eight hours to be fully constructed and 17 hours to fly to Thailand from California. He added that the submarine would be "fitted for a kid or small adult to minimize open air" with "segmented compartments to place rocks or dive weights and adjust buoyancy."
Musk sending SpaceX/Boring Company engineers to Thailand
Over the last couple of days, Musk has been brainstorming with the Thai government on how to help in the rescue mission. He sent engineers from SpaceX and the Boring Company to Thailand for a better understanding of the situation on the ground. He said the Boring Company in particular "is pretty good at digging holes" and working with "advanced ground penetrating radar."
Exploring potential solutions
Musk suggested that his businesses could supply "fully charged Powerpacks and pumps" in order to aid authorities. He also suggested creating an underwater tunnel by inserting a nylon tube through the cave that can go inside and "inflate with air like a bouncy castle."
A daunting challenge
According to reports, the cave complex is not fully mapped and its different waterways are apparently not linked directly. Rescue attempts have already seen one fatality: a former Thai Navy SEAL diver died after delivering oxygen tanks to the team.
