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On a scale of 1 to 10, how newsworthy would you consider this attempt to launch a piece of cheese into space?
from the BBC (it's an English attempt, of course):
"Members of the West Country Cheesemakers group have attempted to make the first space flight by a piece of Cheddar.
The group launched a weather balloon 18.6 miles (30km) into the upper atmosphere carrying a capsule containing a piece of handmade Cheddar.
Once the balloon arrives at the edge of space, it will burst and the cheese should float back to the ground on a parachute."
"Members of the West Country Cheesemakers group have attempted to make the first space flight by a piece of Cheddar.
The group launched a weather balloon 18.6 miles (30km) into the upper atmosphere carrying a capsule containing a piece of handmade Cheddar.
Once the balloon arrives at the edge of space, it will burst and the cheese should float back to the ground on a parachute."
answers (4)
Color me unimpressed.
This wasn't even a legitimate attempt at putting cheese in space. The balloon was supposed to rise to an altitude of 19 miles (30 km) before dropping the cheese via parachute. However, depending on the exact definition, the boundary between atmospheric flight and spaceflight is much higher (62-76 miles or 100-122 km), so even a successful cheese recovery would be a failed attempt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_space#Boundary
This is the cheese in question, set up and ready for launch (the plan was to take pictures of the cheese in "space" before returning it to Earth):
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2009/07/28/article-1202755-05DDF3C9000005DC-182_468x286.jpg
There are additional pictures in this article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1202755/Hard-cheddar-Pioneers-lose-cheese-space.html
I was going to give it a 1, but I was able to milk this cheesy stunt for a few puns along the whey, so I'll go with a 2 instead.
BTW, if the mission had gone as planned, the cheese would have been perfectly edible. The cold temperatures at high altitudes would temporarily affect the texture of the cheese but not its flavor, and the increased radiation would have no significant effect, either (the radiation hazard is to the DNA in living organisms, which can be damaged beyond the body's ability to repair itself).
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/1/9
http://www.arpansa.gov.au/radiationprotection/Factsheets/is_cosmic.cfm
This wasn't even a legitimate attempt at putting cheese in space. The balloon was supposed to rise to an altitude of 19 miles (30 km) before dropping the cheese via parachute. However, depending on the exact definition, the boundary between atmospheric flight and spaceflight is much higher (62-76 miles or 100-122 km), so even a successful cheese recovery would be a failed attempt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_space#Boundary
This is the cheese in question, set up and ready for launch (the plan was to take pictures of the cheese in "space" before returning it to Earth):
There are additional pictures in this article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1202755/Hard-cheddar-Pioneers-lose-cheese-space.html
I was going to give it a 1, but I was able to milk this cheesy stunt for a few puns along the whey, so I'll go with a 2 instead.
BTW, if the mission had gone as planned, the cheese would have been perfectly edible. The cold temperatures at high altitudes would temporarily affect the texture of the cheese but not its flavor, and the increased radiation would have no significant effect, either (the radiation hazard is to the DNA in living organisms, which can be damaged beyond the body's ability to repair itself).
http://jds.fass.org/cgi/content/abstract/11/1/9
http://www.arpansa.gov.au/radiationprotection/Factsheets/is_cosmic.cfm
| Asker's rating: |
This is the best answer because you gave it the highest rating, 2. I think the rating should have been much higher - what do I care about "celebrity" doings? And, enough organized violence in 3rd world countries and crime here at home is enough. I'd rather read about cheese and its adventures.
voted helpful: albanian
Can we get into negative numbers?
I would think there are MUCH more interesting news stories to report on...
I would think there are MUCH more interesting news stories to report on...
No, no negative numbers. Have you considered that this shows eccentricity is alive and well in England? And did you notice that it is "handmade Cheddar", the struggle to preserve traditional cheesemaking is a story in itself. I wonder if France will consider it a provocation if the cheese lands there; they are touchy on the subject of cheese.
Definitely a 1. It's a publicity stunt to promote artisan cheddar, plain and simple. Also, sacrificing the cheese to space will render it inedible. If it survives free-fall (a big if, IMHO), then because it was exposed to space, it's probably been irradiated to a certain extend.
As much as I like cheese, this is not news. It is marketing.
As much as I like cheese, this is not news. It is marketing.
But they claim the project was to mark the 40th Anniversary of the Moon Landings. You may recall that the moon is made of green cheese.
At any rate, they launched the 300 grams of cheese at 0400 but have now lost it, the GPS device apparently failed. They think it landed somewhere in Wiltshire or Herfordshire.
I would be more worried about it freezing up there, or melting coming down. Irradiating it a bit shouldn't hurt.
At any rate, they launched the 300 grams of cheese at 0400 but have now lost it, the GPS device apparently failed. They think it landed somewhere in Wiltshire or Herfordshire.
I would be more worried about it freezing up there, or melting coming down. Irradiating it a bit shouldn't hurt.
Zero.... as drmatt said... I would recommend a negative number... holds absolutely no interest for me.... and I don't care if it has something to do with the 40th anniversary of the moon landing.... put another man on the moon... OR maybe a woman... that would get my attention.
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I don't think the Cheesemakers' group could afford a space program of that size. How about if they had launched a piece of Stinking Bishop?
How about putting cheese on a man? How about putting a man on a woman? Wait... NSFW!!!!
Doc, I don't know about a man who manages to think NSFW thoughts inspired by a story about sending a slice of cheddar cheese into space. Cheddar cheese is normally safe for family consumption.
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Good point about irradiation, it is a safe way to preserve food.