Reaching The Mantle
They seem to have been able to descend to a depth of more than 600 feet before being rescued. Even so, Project Mohole was eventually abandoned eight years after its funding was withdrawn by the government. The Americans were unable to locate the mantle.
The Soviets
It was then up to the Soviets to put their money where their mouth was. A team of specialists began drilling into the crust of the Earth beneath the Pechengsky District on March 1. It was a different approach from the one taken by the original researchers in the field.