Ship being built to dig far into Earth's mantle

China is developing an advanced scientific drilling ship capable of reaching about 10 kilometers below the seabed that will allow scientists to explore what truly happens in the Earth's mantle.

Professor Wu Lixin, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and head of the Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, said the design for the ship - named Dream - is expected to be finalized this year.

If all goes well, the vessel will be launched around 2021, with construction continuing for several years before it can be commissioned due to the outfitting work, he said. He said its service will allow people to fulfill the long-held dream of seeing the mantle and extensively boost the nation's research on geosciences.