a day down into CAVES

Join me in a day down into CAVES. Helmet on, buckle up ... and don't forget your headlamp!

equally curious

We're all diversely something: as a woman I am diversely a man, as a European I am diversely an African, as an engineer I am diversely a philosopher.

And those considered most able amongst us are the most disable: Astronauts are unable to walk in space, and unable to survive outside a vehicle without a space suit.

As a speleologist ,you understand your disabilities: in a cave men are unable to see without artificial light, unable to progress safely without artificial rigging, a harness and a helmet, unable to walk comfortably without proper shoes, unable to eat without food carried from outside and mostly unable to drink without a water canteen.

The concept of being able to do something is very unnaturally an acquired pretentious effect of social habits. What we are all equally able to be is curious. And that's what makes us explorers.

visiting other worlds

Leaving aside the very well known fact that we are all spacefarers, being tied to a planet that makes revolutions around a star, which itself goes around an arm of a galaxy, I've just discovered that our own planet is hiding worlds that we do not know. And I am not talking about the worlds we can find in microscopes, the little particles and energy beams that make up the void that shapes us.

I am talking about worlds that we humans can experience with our senses. But not understand. Yet. New worlds, hidden from the eye of most humans for millions of year, and shaped by the forces of nature: chemistry, physics, but also biology.

I like to say "I've been to the house of gods, and I've seen things that you humans cannot even imagine". 

But how do I describe that world? My soul is still impregnated with the overwhelming sensations of its colours, its shapes, its sounds, its silence, its contrasts, its peacefulness ... and I have no words. I want to share the pictures, which I yet do not have, and the infinite awe that engulfed me. I'm in need of a poet, an artist, a musician, which is not in me. 

Privileged: that is what I can easily say. I feel privileged to have been amongst the 20 people who have ever left their footprints in that place. Carefully placed footprints, trying to always step on the previous ones, realizing to be an elephant in a christal shop, wanting to be able to fly over the thousands of speleothemes, all new to science. Those formations will help rewrite the science of speleology.

My mind is flying back there ... meeting my fellow explorers ... 

estraterrestri sotto terra

(estratto dal mio articolo su Montagne 360 di Novembre 2013)

Per prepararsi ad andare in luoghi sconosciuti, ci si allena in luoghi sconosciuti. 

Si parla molto di esplorazione spaziale, ma per il momento ci si limita ad esplorare se stessi nello spazio attorno alla terra. Eppure adattarsi a vivere nello spazio richiede curiosità, rispetto per le difficoltà con le quali ci si confronterà, per le persone che hanno preparato le spedizioni, per i compagni che parlano una lingua diversa e che decidono, comunicano, interagiscono secondo canoni propri della cultura nella quali sono stati immersi negli anni passati della loro vita. 

Nello spazio ci si muove usando longe, corde di sicurezza, si devono evitare gli ostacoli, bisogna stare lontani da zone vietate, ci si muove in 3D, con una visione limitata dai 60 gradi di visibilità permessi dall' elmetto, a volte ci si muove al buio, e bisogna sapersi orientare per riuscire a trovare l' ingresso. Nello spazio le giornate non sono scandite dal ritmo del sorgere e tramontare del sole ogni 24 ore, ma ogni 90 minuti. Il tempo nello spazio e' quello degli orologi sincronizzati con la terra. Nello spazio si vive di luce artificiale. I colori sono artificiali. Gli odori sono naturali, ma molto umani. I rumori sono quelli dell' elettronica di bordo, ripetitivi, e un po' noiosi.  

E questo e' lo spazio attorno alla terra.

Se si pensa a viaggi su pianeti lontani o asteroidi, il tempo, lo spazio, i colori, i profumi, la musica della voce di un bimbo sono ricordi lontani, sintetizzati in sistemi di realtà virtuale, limitati dalla capacita dei dischi di bordo e dalla fantasia di chi li ha creati.

E la terra, gli amici, la sicurezza della propria casa sono riflessioni lontane, ricreate in simulazioni interiori. La realtà e' quella di una piccola società di persone con le quali si e' partiti da una terra amata, lontana, che forse un giorno si tornerà a rivivere.

Nessun ambiente, o situazione, ricrea tutto questo meglio della grotta. Esplorare l' ignoto, dover ritrovare l' uscita, dipendere dai sistemi di illuminazione artificiali, muoversi in 3D, su corde, con longe, non avere luci, colori, profumi, suoni, altri che quelli dei compagni, coi quali si compartono le difficoltà, i successi, il cibo, le risorse, e dei quali ci si deve fidare, ciecamente. E come lo spazio, la grotta affascina, intimorisce, incute rispetto, offre paure, crea unione.

Ma la grotta e' un ambiente. E va capito, studiato, esplorato, fotografato, topografato. Le conoscenze acquisite vanno compartite con tutti quelli che non hanno la capacita' l'eta' o la voglia di immergervisi. Imparare ad esplorare significa imparare a conoscere e a divulgare. Con curiosità, rispetto, umiltà, e con gli amici.

going where no one has gone before

It gets to you pretty soon. You start by following the steps of others, terrified that you won't be able to find your way out, or that you'll get into something dangerous. You observe, note, move carefully, always wanting to make the next move but afraid that somebody else should be there first.
And then the odd moment comes when you're just waiting for the others to join, with your light you've been indicating the height of the ceiling in that canyon you're following (the last chimney opened with almost 50 meters on top of your head), and you want to go and see what's next. The way is not so hard, you just need to climb a bit, a little squeeze, and there you are, your footprint does not mark the rock, but your soul. You've gone where no one has gone before: a small step for mankind, but a giant leap for you.
Now you're trapped: you're an explorer!

a(n) (under)world of explorers

The explorers of inner Earth are of a special kind. In Brno I met a lot of them. Not all young, not many looking like Indiana Jones. 

All motivated, determined to investigate the geology, microbiology, paleontology, biology (you name it) ... in fact all possible contributions to the evolution of the depths of our planet.

These people go places where nobody has gone before, and they do it discreetly, with limited or no resources, but a lot of friends.

Some months ago I presented ESA CAVES to my home speleological group. It was the 55th anniversary of the foundation of the group. They were presenting a publication summarising the history of their exploration. While reading about the early adventures, still using ladders, one story captured my attention. It said "I knew that while I was exploring down there, an astronaut was in space. Everybody knew about him being in space, but nobody knew about me being down here. And yet, I had less chances to return safe to the surface than he did, and less chances of anybody finding out soon if I didn't."

I'd love the underworld to get the spot sometimes, and all those adventurous explorers to have the recognition that they deserve, for bringing to light a reality that most of us will never reach, not even know of, in our entire life.

ESA CAVES 2012

Totally taken by the preparation for ESA CAVES 2012. Next week will be performing dry runs in Sardinia with the instructors and scientists, and the week after the Training Readiness Review board will check if I've prepared things right. And on September 2nd it'll take off, with a crew of six international astronauts.
I'll write about it on the @ESA_CAVES twitter account. In the meanwhile enjoy the CAVES 2011 video.

to infinity and beyond ...

I always have to laugh at how things develop. When I sat there being interviewed in minute 42 of the video, I was trying to avoid saying something stupid about ESA's involvement in Mars missions. At the time of the shooting ESA had already abandoned the programme, I was upset.

And guess what ... that sentence sounds like "to infinity and beyond!"

baffling start of a personal project

I am going to explore the world, self, and other things, from a very prejudicial and opinionated perspective, in no plausible sequence, with best intentions.
This is going to be a sparse collection of events in my life, possibly with some sprouts of my inner thoughts about them, and the rest.