More weirdness and in connection with discussion on this thread about underground caverns;

The rescue of 'miners' in Chile in October of 2010, may have been a rescue of submariners.

[link to www.nasa.gov]

"Clint Cragg, principal engineer with the NASA Engineering and Safety Center based here at Langley, never thought he would end up a media star. The former Navy submarine commander is not an astronaut or a top NASA administrator.

He is a problem solver who was called in along with three NASA health care professionals to consult with the Chilean government when 33 miners got trapped 2,300 feet underground. That visit to Chile has gotten him more face and phone time with the media than he ever would have guessed. It's also made him extremely interested in the rescue effort to free the miners.

"When I saw the first miner being extracted I was both happy and very relieved," said Cragg. "It appears the final design of the capsule is working, so I'm very happy about that."

That final design came after a lot of planning and hard work. The capsule is a narrow steel cage about 13 feet long that Cragg and a team of about 20 others from around NASA focused in on.

"I went down to Chile with two doctors and a psychologist from Johnson Space Center in late August about three weeks after the cave-in," said Cragg. "Initially what the Chileans were asking for was medical and psychological assistance because of NASA's experience in harsh environments." ...

During his three days in South America, Cragg met up with a number of engineers in the Chilean Navy and others who were studying how to design a rescue capsule. ...


Cragg said the team offered about 75 suggested design features. One was that the capsule be built so a single miner could get himself easily in and secured. Another was that the cage be equipped with an oxygen tank. Another was that the capsule design include technology to cut down on friction it might encounter as it was being hauled up and down. ...

Cragg has worked at NASA for seven years since he retired from the Navy."

[link to abcnews.go.com]