Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services

NNSL (Nov 02/98) - That crazy Russian space program is at it again.

It's not enough for them to blast dogs into orbit, to set up house in space or to drop satellites on the NWT, now they're trying to make the long Arctic night a thing of the past.

Laugh all you want, but, on Oct. 25, they launched a rocket that, along with a store of food and vodka for the folks on the Mir space station, carried a folded up mirror.

If all goes as planned, the 25-metre mirror will reflect sunlight to the earth -- exactly where, Russian scientists aren't quite sure yet. On a clear day its reflection should cover an area of a few square kilometres.

So what do Northerners think of the prospect of losing their long Northern nights?

"Bring on the light!" urged a lifetime resident of Tuktoyaktuk, where the sun remains below the horizon for about six weeks each winter. "It would be a lot less depressing," said the man, who did not want to give his name. (To satisfy curious Tuk residents -- he works at the airport.)

If it works, it's only a matter of time before bigger mirrors appear in space. Combine that with global warming and, in about a thousand years or so, the North may become the world's biggest tanning bed.

Global warming aside, opinion on the solar mirror idea was split during a call to the community that experiences the longest dark season.

"I think Russia should spend the money on its people instead of screwing around with nature," said Robert Sheaves of Grise Fiord who said he enjoys the dark season.

"Maybe I'm a night creature, but I do some of my best work under cover of darkness," said Sheaves, who's lived in the community for about three years.

Raymond Mercredi said most people of the community do not share Sheave's view of the three and a half months the sun does not break the horizon.

"Nobody really looks forward to the dark season," said Mercredi. "It would be nice if (the light reflected from the mirror) would hit us."

At the same time, Mercredi said during his 20 or so years in the hamlet, he's grown accustomed to the long winter night.

Teachers always have an opinion and principals always have strong opinions, right? Verla Boyle is both at Paulatuk's Angik school.

"I think it's going to expand our knowledge," said Boyle. "And, anything that's going to expand our knowledge is a good thing."

Boyle, an educator in Paulatuk for 11 years, was a little skeptical about the idea. "We're, at least, 50 years away from anything like that even being a successful experiment -- there won't be an overnight change," she said.