Now it is the centre of a space race to mine rare minerals to fuel our future - smart phones, space-age solar panels and possibly even a future colony of Earthlings.

BBC: What if you could mine the Moon?

Mine was a simply furnished space dominated by a large bed.

WSJ: Staying at Adr��re Amellal in Siwa, Egypt

Earlier Wednesday, a fifth hole drilled down into the mine found just six inches of open space left between the roof and rubble in an 8-foot-high tunnel, said Jack Kuzar, a district manager with the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration.

CNN: Crews prepare for final rescue effort at Utah mine

But firms that make their money mining this planet say the Earth is one big, practically inexhaustible mine, with just as many unexplored corners as outer space.

WSJ: Exhausting the Earth's Resources? Not So Fast

The plans are to turn the old mine into 11, 000 sq m of office and employment space.

BBC: Forest of Dean Northern Quarter regeneration approved