Science Made Cool

Big Blow's A-Comin'

I spent part of this afternoon preparing the house and yard for the arrival of Hurricane Irene, due to pass right through here Sunday afternoon.

What's funny is that today is a lovely day. The sun is bright, the sky is blue, and the only clouds are harmless-looking little puffy white sheep in the sky. It seems ridiculous to worry about a storm today.

And at any time before the middle of the 20th Century, it would have been ridiculous. There simply was no way to tell if a hurricane was lurking off the horizon, or which way it was headed. The development of radar and the use of weather planes helped with short-term warnings, but it really wasn't until 1960 that hurricanes could be spotted and tracked as they developed.

That year, 1960, marked the launch of TIROS-1, the first weather observation satellite. That changed everything. Orbiting satellites can find suspicious-looking tropical depressions long before they reach hurricane strength. And over the past half century, meteorologists have learned by watching storms. We know more about how they move and behave.

If weather satellites were the only accomplishment of our ventures into space, they would more than justify all the expense of every rocket launched since 1957. Now excuse me, I've got more preparing to do.

Museum Report: Owls Head Transportation Museum

Owls Head, Maine, is a tiny town. The population is only 1600, and there's exactly one store in the place. Yet it also boasts a world-class auto and airplane museum: the Owls Head Transportation Museum. How'd it wind up in such a tiny place? The list of founders holds a clue: it includes such worthies as Thomas J. Watson, Jr. (of IBM fame) and James S. Rockefeller, Jr.

So what's inside? There's a small but fascinating collection of steam engines, including a giant Corliss engine from the 1890s. The automobile collection is weighted heavily toward pioneering designs, with an 1885 Benz, a Stanley steamer, and a Sears motor-buggy from 1908. If you're a fan of MG sports cars, there's a whole gallery of vintage MGs.

Weirdest vehicle? Without a doubt the 1913 Scripps-Booth Bi-Autogo. This landmark of motorized insanity is a hybrid of automobile and motorcycle, with a body like a narrow car (bench seats and everything) slung between two big motorbike wheels fore and aft. At low speeds a pair of little outrigger wheels are supposed to flip down and keep the whole thing from toppling over. Just to make it completely crazy, there's a V-8 motor to blast it along at 75 mph. It's a gorgeous piece of machinery, like an old Frank R. Paul painting come to life.

As to airplanes, the collection again leans heavily toward early designes, with a good assortment of pioneers and World War I aircraft. Most of them are actually "representations," which is to say modern replicas, but they're faithful replicas. The museum grounds adjoin the Owls Head regional airport, and several of the aircraft are kept in flying condition (you can tell which ones by the drip pans under them to catch the oil leaking out of their engines). From time to time during our visit to Owls Head our Crack Team saw vintage biplanes overhead.

Younger visitors (and their parents) are likely to be enchanted by the whimsical fish-bike and dragonflycycle in the musuem's outdoor display area.

Overall rating: A+ if you're a car buff, B+ if you're disappointed by replica airplanes. If you happen to be near the central Maine coast, stop by Owls Head and check it out.