SA TEST-FIRES HOT-WATER CANNON

ENGINEERS have successfully test-fired a new hot-water cannon designed to help a South African team climb to the top of an ice-shelf in Antarctica. The new invention is installed on the research and supply vessel SA Agulhas, which in December will take a South African National Antarctic Expedition (SANAE) team to Antarctica. The cannon is intended to cut a ramp into the 50m vertical side of the shelf. Previously the ramp was cut with bulldozers. – AFP