Even as a frantic rescue operation is underway to save a Thai soccer team stranded inside a flooded cave, American entrepreneur Elon Musk is testing a ‘tiny, kid-sized submarine’ which could possibly aid in the rescue mission.
Even as a frantic rescue operation is underway to save a Thai soccer team stranded inside a flooded cave, American entrepreneur Elon Musk is testing a ‘tiny, kid-sized submarine’ which could possibly aid in the rescue mission.
Musk tweeted several videos of divers trying out the submarine in a swimming pool of a high school in Los Angeles. In the videos, two divers can be seen carrying the submarine underwater, and at the end of another video, a boy is seen coming out of the pod. If the tests are successful, the sub would be placed on a 17-hour flight to Thailand.
The submarine which could be used as an escape pod, as described by Musk is “…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.”
A spokesman for Musk’s Boring Co. said Sunday that the company has four engineers who are “offering support in any way the [Thailand] government deems useful.”
However, Saturday night, Musk tweeted that the cave was now closed for the rescue by divers, adding, “Will continue testing in LA in case needed later or somewhere else in the future.”
Five boys have been rescued till now, and divers are continuing with the rescue operations.
A former Thai Navy SEAL diver died in the cave last week due to lack of oxygen. A group of 12 under-16 boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach went to explore Tham Luang Nang Non-cave in northern Chiang Rai province, Thailand after a practice match on June 23. They got trapped in the cave after a sudden spell of heavy rains blocked the entrance of the cave.
Musk tweeted several videos of divers trying out the submarine in a swimming pool of a high school in Los Angeles. In the videos, two divers can be seen carrying the submarine underwater, and at the end of another video, a boy is seen coming out of the pod. If the tests are successful, the sub would be placed on a 17-hour flight to Thailand.
The submarine which could be used as an escape pod, as described by Musk is “…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.”
A spokesman for Musk’s Boring Co. said Sunday that the company has four engineers who are “offering support in any way the [Thailand] government deems useful.”
However, Saturday night, Musk tweeted that the cave was now closed for the rescue by divers, adding, “Will continue testing in LA in case needed later or somewhere else in the future.”
Five boys have been rescued till now, and divers are continuing with the rescue operations.
A former Thai Navy SEAL diver died in the cave last week due to lack of oxygen. A group of 12 under-16 boys and their 25-year-old soccer coach went to explore Tham Luang Nang Non-cave in northern Chiang Rai province, Thailand after a practice match on June 23. They got trapped in the cave after a sudden spell of heavy rains blocked the entrance of the cave.