Introduction.
Do you remember a sci-fi movie you watched as a kid? It tells the story of a group of scientists who want to dig through the earth and explore the mysteries of the center of the earth, but when they are about to succeed, they encounter unexpected dangers and have to abandon this plan. The film is called "Adventure to the Center of the Earth" and is based on the French writer Jules Verne's name**. You might think it's just a fictional story, but you know what?
In reality, there was also a country that really wanted to dig through the earth, and it dug for 23 years, but in the end it suddenly stopped, and that country was the Soviet Union. This is an amazing historical event and a curious scientific mystery, why did the USSR dig through the earth? How deep did they dig? What did they find underground? Why did they stop digging? These questions were not revealed until 53 years later.
Body. 1. The Soviet Union's motive for digging through the earth: the Cold War race with the United States
To understand why the Soviet Union dug through the earth, we have to start with the Cold War of the last century. After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became the two superpowers of the world, and there was a serious conflict of ideology and interests between them, and they waged a decades-long struggle for world hegemony.
However, since both countries have a large number of nuclear weapons, if a direct war breaks out, it will cause a global catastrophe, so they both follow the principle of "mutual containment, no use of force", but in the political, economic, military, scientific and technological fields of fierce competition, trying to surpass each other in all aspects, show their strength and superiority. The most well-known of these are the space race and the arms race.
The space race refers to the competition between the United States and the Soviet Union in space exploration and use, starting with the launch of the first artificial satellite by the Soviet Union in 1957 and ending with the first space docking between the two countries in 1975. During this period, the Soviet Union created a number of firsts in space history, such as the first artificial satellite, the first space animal, the first astronaut, the first spacewalk, the first space station, etc.
The United States, on the other hand, achieved the feat of landing the first man on the moon in 1969, and has since carried out several missions to the moon, demonstrating its leadership in space technology. The space race not only promoted the scientific and technological progress of the two countries, but also stimulated mankind's curiosity and exploration of space.
The arms race refers to the nuclear and conventional competition between the United States and the Soviet Union, beginning with the successful test of the first atomic bomb by the Soviet Union in 1949 and ending with the signing of the INF Treaty between the two countries in 1987. During this period, the two countries continued to develop and test new types of nuclear warheads, and at the same time, they also produced and stockpiled nuclear warheads in large quantities, forming a nuclear balance of mutual deterrence.
The two countries have also carried out large-scale arms expansion in the conventional front, such as tanks, aircraft, aircraft carriers, submarines, etc., and have also supported and intervened in some regional conflicts and wars around the world to demonstrate their military influence and hegemony. The arms race has not only intensified the hostility and confrontation between the two countries, but has also brought about a huge threat and crisis to world peace.
In this context, in order to compete with the United States in an all-out competition, the Soviet Union also set its sights on the interior of the earth, wanting to explore the deep structure and material of the earth, and even wanted to dig through the earth to achieve an unprecedented scientific feat. This was the motivation of the Soviet Union to dig through the Earth Project, and it was also a manifestation of the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
2. The Soviet Union's digging through the earth: a protracted drilling journey
The Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth began in earnest on May 24, 1970, when the Soviet Union started a giant drilling rig in a remote area of the Kola Peninsula and began a long-lasting drilling journey. The drilling, known as the "Kola Ultra-Deep Hole", was a Soviet national project code-named the "Earth Telescope", with the goal of drilling through the earth's crust and reaching the mantle and even the core to explore the deep mysteries of the earth.
This project was personally led by the Minister of Geology of the Soviet Union, with the participation of as many as 1,000 scientific researchers, and the investment of funds and equipment was also extremely huge, which can be said to be a bold attempt and challenge in the field of earth sciences of the Soviet Union.
The drilling process was not all smooth sailing, but was fraught with difficulties and setbacks. First of all, the drilling site is an extreme environment, the Kola Peninsula is located in the Arctic Circle, the temperature in winter is often below minus 40 degrees, and the temperature in summer is not more than 10 degrees, and there are strong winds, heavy snow, hail and other bad weather, which brings great inconvenience and danger to drilling.
Secondly, the drilling technology is also a huge challenge, as the drilling deepens, the temperature and pressure of the underground will increase dramatically, ordinary drill bits and drill pipes can not withstand it, it needs to be constantly replaced and upgraded, but also to take into account the stability and safety of drilling, to avoid accidents such as collapse and **.
Thirdly, the profitability of drilling is also an important issue, and the Soviet plan to dig through the earth, although it has lofty scientific goals, also needs to take into account the actual economic and social effects. In the process of drilling, a lot of manpower, material and financial resources need to be consumed, and various risks and uncertainties must be faced, which is a huge burden and sacrifice for the national strength and people's livelihood of the Soviet Union.
The results of the drilling did not necessarily meet the expectations and needs of the Soviet Union, and it was possible that some geological data and samples were obtained, but not actual benefits and advantages. The impact of drilling may also cause concern and opposition from the international community, which believes that the actions of the Soviet Union were a destruction and threat to the earth, rather than an exploration and contribution to the earth. Therefore, the Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth was also an adventure full of controversy and dilemma.
3. The end of the Soviet Union's digging through the earth: an unfinished dream, an unforgettable history
The Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth lasted for 23 years, from 1970 to 1992, during which it experienced many pauses and resumes, and finally stopped drilling at a depth of 12,262 meters, setting a record for the world's deepest artificial hole, but it was also far from reaching the goal of digging through the earth. Why, then, did the USSR stop drilling? There are a few main reasons for this:
First, drilling has encountered technical bottlenecks. As drilling deepened, the temperature and pressure in the ground exceeded expectations, reaching 180 degrees Celsius and 340 megapascals, which made both the drill bit and the drill pipe not work properly, and even melted and fractured, resulting in a much lower speed and efficiency of drilling, and the possibility of more serious accidents. The level of science and technology of the Soviet Union was no longer able to cope with such an extreme environment, and it was necessary to find new methods and materials in order to continue drilling.
Second, drilling has run into economic trouble. The Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth was a costly project that required a huge investment of money and resources, as well as various unforeseen risks and losses. However, since the 1980s, the Soviet economy has fallen into a slump and recession, domestic production and consumption have declined, foreign ** and debt crises have also appeared, and the country's finances and materials have been strained and lacking, which made it impossible for the Soviet Union to continue to support this high-cost project, and had to cut and adjust the scale and progress of drilling.
Third, drilling has been influenced by politics. The Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth was a kind of challenge and response to the United States during the Cold War, and it was to demonstrate the Soviet Union's scientific and technological and military strength and superiority. However, since the end of the 1980s, the situation of the Cold War has changed, and the United States and the Soviet Union have begun a process of détente and dialogue, and both sides have realized the danger and meaninglessness of nuclear war, and have begun negotiations and agreements on arms control and disarmament, while also cooperating and exchanging in other fields. As a result, the Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth lost its original meaning and momentum, and was also questioned and criticized by the international community.
Moreover, the Soviet Union itself has undergone tremendous changes, starting in 1985, Gorbachev implemented a policy of reform and opening up, trying to solve the economic and social problems of the Soviet Union, but also caused a series of turmoil and crises, which eventually led to the disintegration and collapse of the Soviet Union. This made the Soviet Union's plan to dig through the earth an unfinished dream and an unforgettable piece of history.
Conclusion: The significance of the Soviet Union digging through the earth: a scientific exploration, a human spirit
The Soviet plan to dig through the earth, although it did not achieve the desired goals and did not bring practical benefits, was not a meaningless attempt, but a scientific exploration, a human spirit. In this project, Soviet scientists and engineers made great efforts and sacrifices to provide us with some valuable geological data and samples, which allowed us to have more understanding and understanding of the earth's internal structure and materials, and also laid a certain foundation and contribution for the development and research of earth science in the future.
In this plan, the people of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Union showed a spirit of daring to challenge and innovate, they were not afraid of difficulties and dangers, they were not afraid of risks and failures, and in order to realize a great scientific dream, they would not hesitate to pay any price, but also try it, this spirit is worthy of our admiration and learning.