"Ferb and I are constructing a Stratospheric Ionizer to make a happy birthday message appear in the upper atmosphere." — Phineas[src] |
The Stratospheric Ionizer is a transmitter built by the gang to send a birthday message to a cosmonaut friend of Phineas and Ferb's.
History[]
Phineas and Ferb tell Buford, Baljeet, and Isabella about their plan to wish a happy birthday to cosmonaut Sergei Kushnarov, who is orbiting Earth in search of wormholes. To achieve their goal, the boys are constructing an ionizer to send a message in the atmosphere, aligning with the International Space Station's trajectory. In outer space, Sergei awaits the brothers' gift for him whilst enjoying his party.
As the project gets underway, Candace notices that her mom only needs to turn around in order to catch the kids in the act. To alert a headphone-wearing Linda, a convalescing Candace tries to call her mother and have Stacy grab her attention, both to no avail. At her wit's end, she gets the idea to combine a recorder doll with a helicopter toy to get Linda to see the boys' creation.
Meanwhile, Sergei and his fellow astronauts proceed with the festivities, but not without him pondering about the wait for the boys' surprise. In the backyard, the kids prepare to sing "Happy Birthday", but a short-circuited doll hits the microphone, causing Candace's message to be shown in the sky. This leads the cosmonauts to find a wormhole in the process of dodging an asteroid, which sweeps away the ionizer ("Mommy Can You Hear Me?").
Design[]
The Stratospheric Ionizer is an antenna structure consisting of a grey truncated cone base with a dark grey circular bottom; a light grey cylindrical post, and a grey parabolic reflector on top.
Mechanics[]
The Stratospheric Ionizer is based on wave physics, with its principal function being to convert mechanical waves into electromagnetic radiation. The sender is able to state their desired message using a microphone connected to the device, which picks up the sound, transforming it into radio waves. Once this is done, the product is transmitted to the upper layers of the atmosphere for the recipient to see.
Background Information[]
- The Stratospheric Ionizer's name alludes to its scale and functionality, respectively. "Stratospheric" refers to stratosphere, the second layer of Earth's atmosphere, and "Ionizer" is a nod to the process of ionized-air glow, in which there is the emission of blueish light by energized air.
- Prior to using the machine, the kids do a power test in it to check if it is charged properly.
- Following his discovery of a wormhole, Sergei's voicemail recording transcribes as "Hello, I'm unavailable because I'm hurtling through time, and evolving past our human limitations". This is a reference to the limitless theoretical possibilities of wormholes, currently beyond the human understanding.
- In the far future, an alien Ferb does get to wish a happy birthday to an old Sergei. According to the on-screen captions, this occurs somewhere beyond Jupiter and time, likely transcending the spacetime continuum.
Appearances[]
- "Mommy Can You Hear Me?" (First appearance)
Previous: Spring Suction Cup |
Big Ideas | Next: No Stop Truck Stop |