[DepthX will get its first test in 2007 at the source of its inspiration, Sistema Zacatn, which happens to be a neat analog for Europa. Clearly, the flooded limestone sinkhole isn't as cold as Europa's ocean, but it can be incredibly toxic, extends to unknown depths, and has proven impervious to humans. (The world's premier cave diver, Sheck Exley - who happened to be a friend of Stone's - died in Zacatn in 1994.)] We know that life is there within the top 40 meters or so, ... Below that, no one knows what's there.
|