Big Shots

Often, before something can be constructed, something else must be destroyed. Enter Jim Redyke of Dykon Blasting in Oklahoma. He travels the world to dramatically "shoot" buildings, bridges, towers and even roller coasters. The results of his work often makes the evening news. Few understand the preparation and science behind the dramatic pictures. At the other end of the blasting spectrum, engineers are using explosives to move mountains. The biggest bangs are in Labrador, where the Iron Ore Company of Canada blasts up to a four-million tonnes of rock at a time.. Meanwhile, scientists at Queen's University are experimenting with ways of making explosions safer, cleaner and more efficient. This episode will take us inside the world of crashes, bangs, flashes and fire -- we'll see explosives detonated in test fields, buildings topple and sides of mountains disappear.