Six difficult months
for the ScanPyramids mission

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Following publication of the article in Nature, a delicate period begins regarding the relations with the Egyptian authorities. Authorization to proceed with the transfer of equipment to the Grand Gallery, the current entrance and the subterranean chamber, which appeared to be no more than an administrative formality, is suspended. Curiously, the Ministry of Egyptian Antiquities starts to question the commitments made by the previous Minister, and seeks to impose new conditions that are somewhat far away from science and Egyptology.

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On April 29, Le Parisien newspaper publishes an interview with Jean-Pierre Houdin by journalist Aline Gérard on the discovery of the BIG VOID. To the question: "What do you think this large void hides?" he replies: "The analyses will tell, but I'm almost certain that it's the equivalent of a second Grand Gallery, probably some forty meters long, located just above the other one. I hope it will serve as an Ariadne's thread for further discoveries".

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« La pyramide de Kheops cache une chambre secrète »

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At the beginning of June, thanks to the patience, resilience and tenacity of Prof. Hany Helal, an agreement is reached, the mission is re-launched and the equipment transferred as initially planned.

 

During this period, Jean-Pierre Houdin develops his comparative analysis of the results published in Nature with his new ideas concerning the shape of the second Grand Gallery. In his view, the difficulty for scientists in choosing between a horizontal or inclined BIG VOID stems from its architectural shape. In fact, it is both horizontal and inclined, due to the presence of vertical wells to modulate the loads of the counterweight. This architecture also results in the splitting of part of the BIG VOID. This last question is now resolved.

 

At the same time, he has numerous exchanges with Denis Denoël, with the aim of trying to define an optimum shape for the GG2 in terms of traction lengths, depending on different solutions for the hoisting sequences.

 

In the Grand Gallery, the mission resumes its cruising speed, with Nagoya installing numerous emulsion plates and the CEA telescopes accumulating data. The KEK scintillator, installed in the subterranean chamber, now has an angle of view covering the entire pyramid.