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Opinion

Wet Space Exploration

By SCOTT T. HARDS


濡れる宇宙探査

濡れる宇宙探査 宇宙ステーション関係のニュースを見るたびに 宇宙飛行士をうらやましく思っていた筆者は、 最近、宇宙飛行士と同じような活動を 自分でも経験できることに気付いた—。

The International Space Station and Russia's Mir are creating plenty of news about space these days. And now Japan has been playing a bigger role in the global effort, with several of the country's scientists flying on the U.S. space shuttle and being selected for future Space Station missions.

Since my youth, I've always been fascinated by space. Star Trek and Star Wars were huge parts of my growing up. Thus, I've always been jealous of those lucky and talented enough to actually fly in space. The idea of putting on a strange suit and floating weightless in a place where you might meet new life forms has always seized my imagination.

Well, imagine my joy to learn that, for the most part, one can do just that without ever having to go through a rigorous selection process, or even board a rocket ship!

As I write these words, I'm still trying to clear my mouth of the last traces of salt from this morning's dive. That's right, about six months ago I discovered scuba diving, and my life hasn't been the same since!

When you think about it, the parallels to space exploration are amusing. You need a special suit to stay warm, and your air tank and regulator to breathe, just like an astronaut in space. You become almost weightless as you balance yourself to achieve "neutral buoyancy" in the water. You can roll upside down, stand on your head, position yourself almost any way you want! You almost feel like you are flying!

The biggest difference between actual space exploration and scuba diving is that your odds of meeting strange new life forms in the ocean are about 100 percent. I've met many creatures in the seas around Japan that I could not believe were from the same planet I am!

Most of the alien species in Star Trek are far closer to humans than some of the round, multiarmed life forms I frequently bump into while diving. Believe me, when you're in their territory it's quite different from seeing them behind glass in an aquarium!

I didn't discover scuba diving until I was 35 years old, but there was one benefit of starting late: the price. Over the last 15 years, the price of scuba gear has fallen by over one half. If you don't want to rent your equipment, you can now buy everything you need for well under ¥150,000. The main reason is simple supply and demand. Scuba has soared in popularity recently, thanks to a piece of equipment known as the "BC."

The "buoyancy compensator" is an inflatable vest that allows you to easily adjust your buoyancy in the water to neutral — that is, neither floating up nor sinking down. Before the BC, it required a good amount of physical strength to stay under control, but now scuba can be enjoyed by virtually anyone in good health. In fact, I have met many senior citizens enjoying the sport in my trips to Izu and the islands around Japan.

So what are you waiting for? With just 2 to 3 days of simple training, you, too, can become a wet astronaut exploring the fascinating "space" that surrounds Japan. You won't regret it!


Shukan ST: Feb. 16, 2001

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