Elon Musk's 'kid-sized' submarine could save trapped Thai athletes
Elon Musk, business magnate and CEO of SpaceX, has said that he is testing out a submarine that could be used to help rescue the remaining Thai soccer players trapped in a flooded cave.
News of the young soccer players trapped in a flooded cave in northern Thailand developed quickly after four of the "Wild Boars" were brought up to the surface on 8 July.
Rescue attempts are continuing as nine people are still trapped underground. While some outlets have previously reported that the boys may have to learn to swim in order to expedite their journey back to the surface, Elon Musk has been busy manufacturing a submarine that could marshall the players back to safety in record time.
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
ALSO READ: Four boys rescued from flooded Thai cave
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 8, 2018
Testing underwater in LA pool pic.twitter.com/CDO2mtjP2D
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 8, 2018
The well-known engineer and business magnate shared the footage of the submarine test on Twitter, saying that he was developing the machine with consultation from people on the ground in Thailand.
The Independent reports that the submarine would be led underground by divers, who would carry the children on the machine up to the surface. The children would not have to first be trained to use the submarine.
If Musk's tests are successful, the submarine will be flown over to Thailand.
Though the submarine was requested by Thai officials, it is not yet part of official rescue plans.