What happens when you mix astrophysicists, a giant balloon, a telescope and a filmmaker? You get BLAST!, an exciting film which follows a team of astrophysicists as they attempt to build and launch a high-altitude balloon-borne telescope above the atmosphere. Directed by Paul Devlin, this film follows his brother, Mark Devlin, Ph.D. and his colleagues, around the world on their journey.

Devlin’s team seeks to gather information about how the universe formed. Because the speed of light is finite and the universe is so large, it takes billions of years for information from distant galaxies to reach earth. Unfortunately, collecting this information can be difficult due to cosmic dust, which obscures our ability to see the universe. Among this cosmic dust is evidence of the youngest stars, which radiate sub-millimeter light. Thus, by using a special type of camera that can detect sub-millimeter light, we can see through the cosmic dust, essentially looking at the universe in its infancy. Enter BLAST, a *B*alloon-borne, *L*arge *A*perture, *S*ub-millimeter *T*elescope that will be raised above the atmosphere to take these pictures.

While BLAST is beautifully simple in design, the film follows the team of scientists as they work for over six years in the construction and launch of the telescope, and all the unpredictable events that go along with it. They travel to the most remote parts of the world, leaving behind their families and their lives, all for the sake of science. This film takes an in depth look at the hard work and dedication it takes to complete a project of this nature, examining both the successes and failures of the scientific process. The film does a wonderful job of keeping the complex scientific topics understandable for all types of viewers; thus, allowing you to connect with the scientists on a personal level. I found this film very interesting and enjoyable and encourage you to see it. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.

Hurry! The film is only showing in New York through June 18th at the Cinema Village theater. Get your tickets today, so you don’t miss out on this fantastic film.