NASA Oral History Project: Chilean Miners Rescue
A section
of a mine collapsed near the town of Copiapó, Chile,
on August 5, 2010, trapping 33 miners 2,300 feet below the Earth's
surface. Seventeen days passed before their location was found.
The
Chilean government requested technical advice from NASA based
on the agency's long experience in protecting humans in the
hostile environment of space. A team of four NASA experts were
on the scene from August 30 through September 5, 2010. While
there, they consulted with a number of organizations in Chile,
including the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Mining, the Chilean
Navy and the Chilean Space Agency, and talked with those at
the site of the mining accident.
NASA's initial support included recommendations on medical care,
nutrition, and psychological support. The support was broadened
to include recommendations on the design of a Chilean vehicle
used to extract the miners. Consultations continued between
members of the NASA team and Chilean government officials until
the miners were rescued, October 13, 2010.
Related
articles:
NASA
Provides Assistance to Trapped Chilean Miners
NASA
Engineer Helps Chilean Miners
National
Security and International Affairs Medal
Condes, Albert.
Intro (8K)
8-2-11 (83K)
|
Deputy
Associate Administrator, Office
of International and Interagency Relations, NASA Headquarters,
Washington, DC |
Cragg,
Clinton H.
Intro (8K)
6-23-11 (224K)
NASA
Suggested Requirements to Chilean Government for Miner
Rescue System Design, 9/10/10 |
Principal
Engineer,
NASA Engineering and Safety Center, NASA Langley Research
Center, Hampton, Virginia |
Duncan,
J. Michael
Intro (8K)
8-3-11 (128K) |
Deputy
Chief Medical Officer,
Space Life Sciences Directorate, NASA Johnson Space Center,
Houston, Texas
Office of International and Interagency Relations Export
Control and Interagency Liaison Division, NASA Headquarters,
Washington, DC |
Harris,
Christopher J.
Intro (8K)
8-2-11 (85K) |
Chile
Desk Officer,
U.S. Department of State, Washington, DC |
Holland,
Albert W.
Intro (8K)
4-25-11 (134K) |
Senior
Operational Psychologist, NASA
Behavioral Health and Performance Group,
NASA
Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas |
Polk,
James D.
Intro (8K)
5-27-11 (80K) |
Chief Medical Officer,
Space Medicine Division,NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston,
Texas |
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More transcripts
are available from the alphabetical list above or from the complete
list of participants.
Please note: Links on the following pages are active once the
Oral History transcript is archived in the JSC History Collection.
To view
the newest additions to the JSC History Collection, visit
the "What's New" announcement.
Transcript
lists were last updated: Dec.
30, 2015
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