Editing 1503: Squirrel Plan

{{comic
| number    = 1503
| date      = March 25, 2015
| title     = Squirrel Plan
| image     = squirrel plan.png
| titletext = [Halfway to the Sun ...] Heyyyy ... what if this BALLOON is full of acorns?!
}}

==Explanation==

===Squirrel cosmology===
The joke is that these particular squirrels are ambitious but misguided, like the characters in the myth of {{w|Icarus}} and {{w|Daedalus}}, or the {{w|Tower of Babel}}.  The squirrels' understanding of astrophysics seems to be based on wishful thinking -- although in their fictional reality, the truth might be as fanciful as they expect it to be.  The fact that the squirrels are talking supports the idea that the reader is not supposed to apply the normal rules of our universe to this comic.

The title text reveals that "halfway to the sun," 75 million kilometers from any acorns in our universe, the airborne squirrel jeopardizes the entire mission because he wants to test if the balloon itself is full of acorns.  But it follows the logic stated by the squirrels:  If the sun, being so magnificent, must be full of acorns, then a balloon powerful enough to take a squirrel to the sun must also be powered by something amazing, like acorns -- what else could it be?

Basic observational skills will tell anyone that acorns do not float, and in fact have noticeable weight to them. Elementary logic then dictates that the balloon lifting the squirrel should not contain objects that contribute only weight, and therefore the balloon must not contain acorns. Yet perhaps this is for the best, since continuing on with the mission would (obviously, to us humans) end in death for the airborne squirrel, as well as inconclusive data for the ground team.

In the real world [http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=1020.0 helium balloons cannot escape the stratosphere.]  Perhaps the squirrel only ''thinks'' he's halfway to the sun.  Or maybe the acorns in the balloon are pushing on the [[1404:_Quantum_Vacuum_Virtual_Plasma|quantum vacuum virtual plasma]].

===Squirrels in xkcd===
Squirrels are often used in xkcd and ''What if?'' comics as a way of avoiding reality. Maybe [[Randall]] is going through a tough time this week.

'''Comics:'''
*[[635: Locke and Demosthenes]]
*[[776: Still No Sleep]]
*[[1156: Conditioning]]

'''What if?:'''
*[http://what-if.xkcd.com/21/ Machine Gun Jetpack]
*[http://what-if.xkcd.com/98/ Blood Alcohol]
*[http://what-if.xkcd.com/102/ Keyboard Power]
*[http://what-if.xkcd.com/105/ Cannibalism]

'''Blag:'''
*[http://blog.xkcd.com/2008/02/15/the-laser-elevator/ The Laser Elevator]

==Trivia==

It is commonly believed that real squirrels use their ''tails'' as parachutes, although as yet [http://io9.com/5946627/squirrel-hurls-itself-through-a-fourth-story-window-scampers-off-unscathed "there have been no observational studies on the aerodynamics of free-falling squirrels."]

==Transcript==
:[There are three squirrels.  One is suspended from a balloon. The other two are sitting on the ground, looking up at it.]

:Squirrel to the right: Once you've chewed a hole in the sun, shoot the balloon to fall back to earth, then pull the parachute ripcord to land.

:Squirrel tied to balloon: Are you '''''sure''''' it's full of acorns?

:Squirrel to the right: Look how bright and magnificent it is! What ''else'' could be in there?
{{comic discussion}}

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[[Category:Animals]]