National Geographic Robot Producer Talks About Third "Door" Found In Cheops Pyramid

September 25, 2002 Washington, D. C. - Zaia Hawass, head of Egypt's Supreme antiquities Council in Cairo, held a press conference on September 23, 2002. He announced that after the September 16 television program broadcast by Fox and National Geographic to explore the southern shaft of the "Queen's Chamber" in the Great Pyramid of Cheops, the robot was sent up the second northern shaft off the same chamber. Back in 1993, German engineer Rudolph Gantenbrink had discovered a sharp 45 degree turn about 60 feet from the chamber, but did not go further. The National Geographic and iRobot team decided to see how far the new 2002 robot could go. To their surprise, at 80 feet from the Queen's Chamber, there were two more turns. Then at 65 meters, or about 210 feet, there was yet another door with copper handles like the one in the southern shaft. As of this date, no one knows what is behind either of the little limestone doors.

This week I asked Chris Sondreal, Producer, Egypt Robotics Unit, National Geographic Television and Film in Washington, D. C., about their off-camera decision to send the robot up the northern shaft around the 45 degree turn.



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[Edited on 8-12-2002 by ultra_phoenix]