Spaced Out
As you know, Andrew Krystal and I have a regular Friday feature which is called, not surprisingly, the Friday Science Files, where we discuss, conjecture and pontificate all things that are science or border on the scientific. And one of the most popular topics that we visit again and again is that of outer space. It has fascinated me since I was a little kid. And it still has me enthralled.
We tend to think that outer space, interplanetary travel et al is the purview of the likes of NASA and the European Space Agency. But an Alberta teacher, Tony Rafat, has shown yet again that big bucks don’t ever come close to innovation and effort. You don’t have to spend gigabucks to touch the outer reaches the Earth and the beginnings of space. With a few students, a camera, a few surplus weather balloons and some helium he has been able to take spectacular pics of what is just beyond the reach of us lesser mortals.
Back in July he and his students launched the balloon with camera in tow, into the upper stratosphere and three hours later, after the balloon exploded and came back down to Earth, they had almost 200 of the most beautiful digital photos of this frail and incredible planet that we call Earth.
I sampled the pics on the internet and I have to say that I was moved. They were above all the life that we know to exist in the entire universe, taking a backward picture of what we call home. And my, it looked small and frail and distant.
Standing here on the ground looking up at the sky, we can be forgiven for thinking that the Earth and its bounty is infinite and limitless and ours for the taking. We are looking through the wrong end of the lens and nowhere is that more evident when lift ourselves off the couch and look back on where we live.
Maybe it is time that we took our leaders, business, government, religious and any others, and hooked a few helium balloons to their britches so they could get a different perspective. Its small and round and limited and so are its resources. Thank you Tony Rafat for again showing that teachers can and do teach…us all.
October 2nd, 2007 at 6:26 am
Richard…Are those pictures available for viewing? I was unsuccessful in my search. BTW…I very much enjoy your science show on 95.7 on Fridays. I would like to see it expanded to two hours. Maybe one of these days I will get the nerve to call in and ask a question or two.
October 6th, 2007 at 6:18 am
richard , if a large object from space was to strike the earth , could it cause
the earth to spin slower and what would the effects be , and what if was to spin faster.
October 15th, 2007 at 7:27 pm
Hi Shawn
The earth is so massive compared to any of the possible objects that might strike it that the change to the rotation would be almost beyond measurement. The object would have to be hundreds of kilometres in diameter and if such an object hit the devastation would be greater than anything the Earth has felt in four-billion years.
Cheers
r