Elon Musk sends engineers to help Thai cave rescue mission

Tech billionaire Elon Musk is sending specialist engineers to Thailand to help aid the rescue of the 12 boys and their football coach trapped in a cave.

Musk hopes his engineers can join the already huge operation being carried out he Tham Luang Nang Non cave complex, where dozens of Thai Navy SEALs and international experts are attempting to find a way to get the boys out.

Musk, founder of the Boring Company, as well as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX tweeted Thursday: "SpaceX & Boring Co engineers headed to Thailand tomorrow to see if we can be helpful to govt. There are probably many complexities that are hard to appreciate without being there in person."

SpaceX & Boring Co engineers headed to Thailand tomorrow to see if we can be helpful to govt. There are probably many complexities that are hard to appreciate without being there in person.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2018

On Friday the Thai government confirmed that Musk's engineers will arrive on Saturday July 7 on its Facebook page.

Elon Musk

"Elon Musk will send his team to Thailand tomorrow (7th July) to help in cave rescue. He may provide services for location tracking, water pumping or battery power," read the statement.

This image makes it simple. Critical 70cm area is at the center. Several dives and two rest areas in between before getting to strong 13 Thais. You probably need several inserts if going with air funnel solution pic.twitter.com/1Pz6vd7U4N

— James Yenbamroong (@JamesWorldSpace) July 6, 2018

Musk had initially questioned whether his company could aid rescue efforts with its "advanced ground penetrating radar" as well as the company's "fully charged Powerpacks and pumps."

Thank you @elonmusk. That is really all I ask. that you follow the updates on the situation and perhaps you may come up with something. Some of us can only pray, but you can do more. We know you are not Ironman (...right?). Cheers

— MabzMagz (@MabzMagz) July 4, 2018

Boring Co has advanced ground penetrating radar & is pretty good at digging holes. Don’t know if pump rate is limited by electric power or pumps are too smal. If so, could dropship fully charged Powerpacks and pumps.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 5, 2018

He also considered whether it was "maybe worth trying" inserting a nylon tube into the cave network to create an air tunnel underwater.

SpaceX team reached out to us today to help connect to Thai govt. Our team connected and provided some prep feedback to your team. For pumps, cave has narrowest 70cm cross section and about 5km to 13 guys. For vertical drill, it’s about 1/2 mile down and tricky

— James Yenbamroong (@JamesWorldSpace) July 5, 2018

Maybe worth trying: insert a 1m diameter nylon tube (or shorter set of tubes for most difficult sections) through cave network & inflate with air like a bouncy castle. Should create an air tunnel underwater against cave roof & auto-conform to odd shapes like the 70cm hole.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 6, 2018

The members of the Wild Boar soccer team were reported missing on June 23 when they didn't return from an outing after practice. They entered the cave during fine weather but became trapped when a sudden downpour flooded the narrow tunnels.

Thai soldiers relay electric cable deep into the Tham Luang cave at the Khun Nam Nang Non Forest Park in Chiang Rai.

Rescuers have been examining ways to bring the boys out, including fitting them with full-face oxygen masks and accompanying them on a long, dangerous swim through the tunnels.

On Friday it was confirmed that a former Thai Navy diver who had volunteered to help the rescue had died, according to government officials.

The death of an experienced diver in the cave system underlines the inherent risks in attempting to move the boys, who are physically weak after days without food.

It takes even the most experienced divers up to five hours to swim through jagged, narrow channels from where the boys are to safety outside.

(Source: CNN)