Wanted: Xena Tapes and Hot Pockets

Okay, among people who talk about such things (i.e., geeks), The Core is often accorded the 'honor' of being recognized as the sci-fi movie with the worst science ever. And rightfully so, in my humble opinion.

Yes, as I stated in a previous article on my own blog, science fiction requires the willing suspension of disbelief where actual science is concerned. But The Core goes above and beyond the call of duty where this is concerned. I mean, it's just not possible for anything man-made to get down beyond the thick crust of the Earth, or to survive the rigors of heat and pressure found within the molten core of our planet - or even the comparatively cool and hospitable mantle that lies just under the crust.

Or is it?

Scientists working along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge recently completed drilling a hole 4,644 feet deep. This hole was almost deep enough to reach the Mohorovicic discontinuity ('Moho'), the boundary between the solid crust of our planet and the molten, fluid mantle upon which the crust floats, at that location. It's likely to be more than a year before drilling continues, but plans are already in the works for another attempt.

But this is only a scratch on the surface, so to speak. David Stevenson, a planetary scientist from Caltech, has an even more ambitious plan. He proposes using a nuclear^* device to open a huge crack in the Earth's crust. Immediately after the crack is formed, a probe about the size of a grapefruit would be put in, along with about 100,000 tons of molten iron. The huge mass of iron would serve two purposes. First, it would serve to protect the small, relatively delicate probe from the heat and pressure of the mantle and the outer core. Second, the iron's weight - or more properly, its density - would serve to keep the probe moving ever downward.

The probe would measure various physical and chemical properties of the mantle, which should give scientists a better understanding about exactly what's going on down there. Stevenson compares the mysteries of the inner workings of our world to the mysteries of the deepest parts of the universe. "We've spent more than $10 billion in unmanned missions to the planets," Stevenson said. "But we've only been down about 10 kilometers [6.2 miles] into our own planet."

He also addresses the question of how to get the collected data back to the surface. Traditional data transfer methods are unlikely to be effective, because electromagnetic energy doesn't travel well through stone.^** Instead, he proposes using a compression wave generated by the probe's motion as a means of sending the data back. Compression waves - like sound, for example - are very effective in a dense media like molten rock.

It is interesting to note that Stevenson has been thinking about such a project for years. I find this comment more interesting, though: "But the movie [The Core] prompted me to write my ideas down."

Can really bad science fiction lead to legitimate scientific exploration? It would appear that it can.

Somebody get that man some Unobtanium!

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^*Or is that 'nucyaler'? Whatever.
^**Try using you cell phone in a cave if you don't believe me.