KIRSTYANDREWS
Space oddities
Kirsty Andrews goes boldly into inner space as she seeks out the links between space exploration and recreational diving
Looking at some of my diving photos , a friend recently remarked to me that the subjects were otherworldly , like alien creatures . This is hardly a surprise , in that much science fiction has been inspired by real creatures in some way ; creative writers and film-makers have definitely drawn ideas of both appearance and behaviour from real life examples , often in the deep sea where for years and years ( and to a large extent still ) the sea and its inhabitants retain a veil of mystery .
How many of you have read Jules Verne ’ s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ? His tales of exploration and adventure , written more than 150 years ago , led us not just under the sea but to the centre of the earth , and from the Earth to the Moon . All fantastic places with the potential for exhilarating discovery . As for divers , well , we bear rather a resemblance to astronauts in many ways , don ’ t we ? We take noisy breaths of carefully controlled gases .
Our equipment isn ’ t too far off an astronaut ’ s rig in terms of bulky self-contained set-up with some technical niceties to comply with . We are still subject to the laws of gravity , but we can use our equipment to glide neutrally buoyant in all directions . In fact , astronauts obtain scuba diving qualifications and use water as part of their training , simulating neutral-gravity spacewalks underwater . There is even a fishy-sounding NEEMO unit ( NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations ) where budding aquastronauts can train , living in an underwater research station for days , practising spacewalks and techniques for using tools and performing experiments in an environment analogous to space .
We divers boldly go into unknown worlds , to document what we see , sometimes venturing
Amphipod on a comb jelly , UK where no human has been before . We ’ re far luckier than astronauts in that way , as it ’ s not a barren lifeless environment that we see , but a biodiverse wonderland of incredible variation and complexity . We can make discoveries of unfamiliar beings , and in doing so we mostly don ’ t need to hold ‘ we come in peace ’ signs . Mind you , any hand signals made by me in my favoured three-finger mitts are notoriously difficult for human buddies to decipher , but are almost perfectly designed for a Vulcan salute to ‘ live long and prosper ’; so I can manage that at least . Some of us even carry light-sabre-like torches , which apparently are intended to illuminate a reef rather than channel the Force , although sometimes their bearers forget that .
Nowadays the prospect of space travel as a leisure activity is nearer than it has ever been . The likes of Elon Musk and Richard Branson are busy turning such dreams into reality and the future is exciting and slightly terrifying - although of course , still only likely to be possible for a privileged few . Today , fewer than 600 people have been to space , whereas we divers number in the millions worldwide . Despite this , how many times have you heard the phrase that we know more about life on other planets than we do at the bottom of the sea ? There is so much more for us to discover !
Who would be an intergalactic traveller when you can be a scuba diver ? If you too are a frustrated astronaut , console yourself with the advantages we can hold over our spacehopping brethren ; re-entry for us is distinctly less perilous , and we can be back home in time for tea . �
Nudibranch on a sea squirt , Philippines
Larval crustacean riding a jelly , Indonesia
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