Space age technology could help Chilean miners survive

NASA has been asked to help the 33 miners trapped more than 2,300 ft underground.

Rescuers are using plastic supply tubes, called "doves", to deliver supplies to the miners, who were trapped in a 500 sq ft passage by a rock collapse in the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile.

The men have lost significant weight since being trapped on Aug 5 with only limited food supplies but were said to be good spirits and optimistic after rescue teams made contact.

As doctors warned of the miners’ fragile psychological state, Nasa was contacted to help with technology and rations that could help the miners remain healthy. The U.S. space agency was said to be considering the plea. Experts said such cramped conditions were similar to those experienced by astronauts on the International Space Station.

Psychiatrists also began detailed assessments using relations and medical files to try to build a profile on the miners.

Relief crews attempting to bore an extraction hole down the shaft of the mine, near the city of Copiapo, 530 miles north of Santiago, delivered glucose gel to help digestive systems, hydration tablets, oxygen and other medications.

Through newly installed communication equipment, the trapped miners applauded, cheered and sang the national anthem when they were first reached.

The miners, who alerted the world to their survival at the weekend by passing a note through a shaft, had survived on two mouthfuls of tuna, a biscuit and half a glass of milk every 48 hours.

The group asked for "food, toothbrushes and something for their eyes", as well as beer and peaches, when rescuers made contact.

Officials warned of a long and technically complex rescue operation. Engineers have been working to reinforce the six-inch wide borehole that broke through to the miners’ refuge during an operation hindered by the risk of cave-ins. Using a long hose, they coated the walls with a metallic gel to decrease the risk of more rock falls.

"They need to understand what we know up here at the surface, that it will take many weeks for them to reach the light," Jaime Manalich, Chile’s health minister, said.