In the Hollywood blockbuster Armageddon, silver screen heavyweight Bruce Willis leads a group of misfit drillers into space. Their mission is simple – use the techniques they’ve mastered on earth to save the planet from an asteroid the size of Texas.
Professor Alfred William Eustes III knows a thing or two about transferring skills between industries. NASA regularly solicits his expertise to help them solve the riddles of space. Prof Eustes shared his endeavours with a room full of industry professionals as part of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Aberdeen’s lecture series on May 28.
But before the associate professor in petroleum engineering could delve into the specifics he had a bone to pick with Bruce and his crew of rejects. And it had something to do with accuracy.
“If that’s where you get your knowledge about extra-terrestrial drilling from, let me tell you: everything in that movie is wrong,” he said.
Everything but one simple detail, that is: “They got one thing right. It was a drilling engineer that saved the world,” he added.
Prof Eustes isn’t trying to save the world. But he is trying to see if experts can harness the techniques developed in the North Sea to discover life on Mars.
“Where else is there that can possibly have harboured life so we can answer the question, ‘are we alone in this universe?’” he said.
“The most accessible place we think would have that possibility is Mars.”
The industry veteran said techniques specifically ingrained in automated and remote directional drilling deployed in the North Sea will help the modern-day adventurerers drill their way to life on Mars.
“The more efficient your drilling, the better your results,” he said.
“When it comes to drilling rig automation in oil and gas, the same procedures have to be used whether it be on the other side of earth or on another planet.”
He added: “In the North Sea you’re looking for hydrocarbons and isn’t that a form of life? So in essence the same sensor technology can be used to find out if we’re alone in the universe.
“The pathway from the North Sea to Mars is a two way street. What we learn on Mars can help how we drill in the North Sea.”
NASA first approached Prof Eustes to gauge the realities of reaching certain depths.
“The first feasibility study I was asked to look out was drilling down 10km,” he said.
“I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s not feasible yet.”
So what is a more feasible target? Somewhere around the 4km mark, according the professor.
But no matter how deep they manage to drill, finding a water source is critical to solving the Martian puzzle.
“As you drill down eventually you will reach a temperature where water is liquid. Everything we know about life is that it survives with liquid water,” Prof Eustes said.
Whether life exists elsewhere is still up for the debate, but for the respected scholar it’s definitely a question worth asking – no matter what industry you’re in.
“I have no proof either way,” he said.
“But as big as the universe is, I can’t believe that there isn’t life somewhere else. I think the chances for life are good and the chances for intelligent life are reasonable.”
Watch his full ‘Extra-terrestrial drilling: how on Earth can Martian drilling help us?’ presentation below.
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