Squirrel Plan
Squirrel Plan
[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?

These particular squirrels are ambitious but misguided, like the characters in the myth of Icarus and Daedalus (it should be noted that Randall does not see it that way, as seen in the bottom of "Interplanetary Cessna" ), or the Tower of Babel . The squirrels' understanding of astrophysics is lacking, regarding the distance to the sun and appropriate transportation to reach it in addition to the need to resist the sun's heat and exist in the vacuum of space. Their belief that the sun is made of acorns reflects their uniquely acorn-focused worldview, a reference to the tendency of real-life squirrels to gather and store acorns as winter food, as well as their single-minded dedication to overcoming obstacles (even elaborately-constructed obstacle courses ) for the sake of obtaining nuts.
The title text reveals that "halfway to the sun," 75 million kilometers from all known acorns in our universe, the airborne squirrel seems to jeopardize the entire mission because he wants to test if the balloon itself is full of acorns. Basic observational skills will tell anyone that acorns do not float [ citation needed ] , but the idea 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. Obviously, neither the sun or balloons are filled with acorns [ citation needed ] .
Usage of balloons for space travel is a prominent motif in early science fiction; see, for example, " The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall " by Edgar Allan Poe.
[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?
