Word: coolant
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...would be similar to tapping the heat of molten rocks created by a man-made blast. Rawson and Higgins set up a gasoline-driven rotary drilling rig in the middle of Kilauea Iki's cone on the steaming crust of the lava pool. Using compressed air as a coolant, they drilled a 3½-in. hole into the crust at the tedious rate of 1½ ft. every eight hours. The 1,652° heat damaged the diamond bits and jammed pipe threads, forcing a switch to powdered graphite as a lubricant. At nearly 17 ft., Rawson and Higgins...