The goal of the study was to develop a system to safely remove radioactive waste from underground storage tanks at Hanford. The researchers proposed using underground mining techniques to retrieve various forms of waste, such as solid objects, saltcake, sludge, and liquid, from different sizes of tanks. The system would be remotely controlled and capable of handling over 50 tons of waste per day. It would also be able to cut through metal components inside the tanks for access. The waste material would then be transported to the surface for further processing.