Expanding Our Understanding
Thanks to modern technology, we’re much closer to understanding space and other planets too. Some even suggest that we have more knowledge about space than we do about the core of our own planet Earth! Nowadays, although a lot of people are still aware of the ‘race to space’ between the U.S.S.R. and the United States during the Cold War, there are not many who remember or are even aware of, the similarly captivating race into the depths of our subterranean planet.
Expanding Our Understanding
Getting To The Earth’s Core
The 1950’s were not only characterized by the Space Race, there was a less public battle going on too. US and Soviet scientists were starting a new set of experiments to find out if it would be possible to penetrate and study the crust of the earth. Experts estimated that the crust was about 30 miles down towards the center of the planet. The dense shell, which is the crust, eventually becomes the mantle, a mysterious inner layer that amazingly makes up for a whopping 40 percent of the mass of our entire planet.
Getting To The Earths Core
