Space guns, boreholes, and biodomes: the lost dreams of 20th century science

The 20th century, in particular the latter half, played host to some of the most ambitious scientific projects in history. Atlas Obscura’s feature Ruins Of Super Science takes a look at some forgotten gems, many of which are in a state of disrepair. There’s the Kola Superdeep Borehole, a Russian project to drill as far into the earth as possible, which reached a stunning 7.5 miles deep; the Project HARP Space Gun, which as the name suggests was a joint US-Canadian project that aimed to fire a payload into space (it never succeeded); and Nikola Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower and Laboratory in Long Island, NY, the birthplace of many of Tesla’s experiments, and the subject of a successful campaign last year to turn the lab into a Tesla museum. There are a total of ten projects in the feature — it’s a must-read for anyone interested in the limits of human endeavor.