U.S. Technology Facilitates Chilean Mine Ordeal

Technology is not always about computers, mobile devices, or other clever gadgets the technological advancement of this decade has brought about. Technology is also about the complex mechanisms that foster and facilitate small tasks like everyday chores to large tasks like liberating 33 Chilean miners from the depths of the Earth’s crust. It was an amazing sensation to witness the first successful rescuing of one of the 33 trapped Chilean miners, who had been stuck about 2,000 feet below the Earth. Just to give an illusion of how far that is depth wise here is a mind boggling chart that compares the depth of the mine to some of the world’s tallest man made buildings.



The rescue effort behind the Chilean mine disaster has given the United States an opportunity to establish a monumental political stance. The fact that American engineers, and various other professionals are taking part in the rescue effort in a regime that has long rivaled the United States for its attitude towards Latin America’s progress as a whole, adds a positive aspect to the complex political relation between the two regimes. This has largely been made possible by the various technological capabilities our country has to offer. NASA officials offered council and advice to a Chilean engineers working alongside American engineers from the U.S. Both countries were able to come up with a plan that would rescue the men in almost half of the 4 months that had been estimated. This kind of situation provides the illusion of possible peaceful negotiations and trade agreements in the future for both countries, seeing the possibility of being able to work well in one field hopefully can lead to others. Thanks to technology we not only witnessed the aide provided by the U.S. worldwide but we also saw the vital role the aide played in warming Latin American sentiments towards Americans. This bestows further significance to the ordeal, in terms of historical and political context; Latin American sentiments towards the U.S. have been mostly negative. Since the early 19th century vis-a-vis the imperialistic role the U.S. took on during that time to contemporary issues today with security, terrorism and immigration, the U.S. has not been excessively concerned with its overall appearance to its Latin American global partners. As I witnessed U.S.-Chilean Company Geotec Boyles Bros. operate the first drill to reach the miners, I realized the importance this technology personified in terms of U.S. and Latin American relations. To be able to observe how technology allowed two nations to look beyond their differences and work together for a greater purpose says more than what could be put in words of how society benefits from technology at large.


sources:
http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/10/12/gergen.miners/?hpt=T2

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/08/26/graphic.chile.mine/index.html?iref=mpstoryview