Subdeacon Joe Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/01/tech/mantle-earth-drill-mission/index.html?iref=allsearch Their task will be all the more difficult for being conducted out in the middle of the ocean. It is here that the Earth´s crust is at its thinnest at around 6 km compared to as much as 60 km (37.3 miles) on land. They have already identified three possible locations -- all in the Pacific Ocean -- where the ocean floor was formed at relatively fast spreading mid-ocean ridges, says Teagle. The hole they will drill will be just 30 cm in width all the way from the ocean floor to inside the mantle -- a monumental engineering feat. "It will be the equivalent of dangling a steel string the width of a human hair in the deep end of a swimming pool and inserting it into a thimble 1/10 mm wide on the bottom, and then drilling a few meters into the foundations," says Teagle. To get to the mantle scientists will be relying on a purpose-built Japanese deep-sea drilling vessel called Chikyu, first launched in 2002 and capable of carrying 10 km of drilling pipes. It has already set a world-record for the deepest hole in scientific ocean drilling history, reaching 2.2 km into the seafloor. What makes the task even more difficult is that, currently, the drill bits have a limited lifespan of between 50-60 hours before needing to be replaced, meaning drilling could take many years unless technology improves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Forty Rod SASS 3935 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Who's paying for this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Ray Hality, SASS# 37355 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Greedy people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 Who's paying for this? http://www.iodp.org/iodp-mi-members-and-representatives'>http://www.iodp.org/iodp-mi-members-and-representatives Home page: http://www.iodp.org/ The Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) is an international marine research program with 26 nations dedicated to advancing scientific understanding of Earth by sampling, instrumenting and monitoring subseafloor environments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I guess I have to ask the question, WHY? I know that there is information to be gained, but for what purpose? We do not have the resources or technology at this time, to do much other than study it. Going back to the moon rocks that were brought back in 1970, I have not seen much come of that. If the idea is to find fossil fuels, we could probably develop alternate technology if we really tried. I suspect that politics and financial greed will cloud the research and it will be literally a sink hole for money. Too bad that all that money could not be used to fight hunger and disease in the world and to develop a world wide education program for the children and youts. But, like most big programs where big dollars are involved, greed seems to take a leading hand. I am not hopeful of that happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 I guess I have to ask the question, WHY? I know that there is information to be gained, but for what purpose? We do not have the resources or technology at this time, to do much other than study it. Heck, we barely have the technology to do that test bore. That is part of it. New techniques, new equipment, and new methods will come from just the attempt. Going back to the moon rocks that were brought back in 1970, I have not seen much come of that. From the rocks themselves, no. Or, not yet. But from the attempt - look at all the spin offs. LEDs, coclear implants, infrared thermometers, LOTS of medical applications. Deicing systems for aircraft. Lord knows what else. If the idea is to find fossil fuels, we could probably develop alternate technology if we really tried. I suspect that politics and financial greed will cloud the research and it will be literally a sink hole for money. Too bad that all that money could not be used to fight hunger and disease in the world and to develop a world wide education program for the children and youts. But, like most big programs where big dollars are involved, greed seems to take a leading hand. I am not hopeful of that happening. The idea is just to find out what is down there. We really know very little about how the Earth is put together, and what it's made of, more than a couple of miles down. Heck, look at plate tectonics. I remember in the mid- to late 1960s when the information describing it and the driving mechanism were released. What was the point of Lewis and Clark's expedition? Or Fremont's? You never know what good it will do until you go there and find out. Who knows, maybe some of the microbes they have found will have medicinal value. Or possibly some mineral will provide a leap forward in making fire resistant housing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger Mountain Charlie SASS #43172 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 All well and good if you got the money to pay for it. Last count I got was somewhere around $16,000,000.000,000.00 and counting. And yes, I know that it is an international venture. Hmmmmm, like the UN? Somehow, the buck always stops here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 All well and good if you got the money to pay for it. Last count I got was somewhere around $16,000,000.000,000.00 and counting. And yes, I know that it is an international venture. Hmmmmm, like the UN? Somehow, the buck always stops here. Here is a list. Let's say that one of those will generate information that, in 30 years, will allow us to predict a week ahead of time an earthquake like that last biggie in Japan. How much would that be worth? Even if the US govt. funded the whole $3,000,000,000 that is less than .02% of that $16 trillion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Ray Hality, SASS# 37355 Posted October 7, 2012 Share Posted October 7, 2012 I guess I have to ask the question, WHY? ... I believe this is a test of technology. Real world research and development. I also believe this money is ecpected to have a substantial return income to those who took the risk. Will the patyoff be in oil? gas or some other mineral? Perhaps this kind of drilling control will help thread a surgen's tool in brain surgery at some point. I don't know where the return will be. What I do believe is that the people who are investing, don't spend this kind of money with having some expectations for getting it back many times over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subdeacon Joe Posted October 7, 2012 Author Share Posted October 7, 2012 I believe this is a test of technology. Real world research and development. I also believe this money is ecpected to have a substantial return income to those who took the risk. Will the patyoff be in oil? gas or some other mineral? Perhaps this kind of drilling control will help thread a surgen's tool in brain surgery at some point. I don't know where the return will be. What I do believe is that the people who are investing, don't spend this kind of money with having some expectations for getting it back many times over. Exacteltively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Apache Hawk 60642 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 I shore hope dey stop sometime afore dey reach da core.......... afeared dis world wood go bust like a bal-loon ifin' dey pull da pug ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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