Gas From Uranus? Let The Jokes Begin

One way I've read to fuel a theoretical interstellar space ship is using Helium 3.  While not abundant on Earth, there's plenty on outer planets like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. 

Using a concept like this would be great for science fiction.  The article talked about a space-gas station created at these planets.  But I see other possibilities.  Why limit yourself to interstellar space travel?  What about in-system and using the gases for other sources.  A writer could turn this to corporate sci-fi with competing gas mines.  This could lead to threats of in-system wars, embargos...  I think I've said enough about that.

Cool Stuff From Kepler For Science Fiction Writers

A couple of days ago, I found a link to an interesting article on space.com.  The article/slide show focuses on the strangest alien planets found by the Kepler spacecraft/telescope.  Some of the worlds discovered could be particularly interesting for science fiction writers who want to include real science to add to the story credibility.  Here are a few examples of worlds from the slide show and how they could be used. 

• Closest planet:  Epsilon Eridani b orbits an orange sun-like star only 10.5 light years away.  Whether your story uses faster-than-light (FTL) travel, near-light-speed, or stasis, you could reference such a world as a staging area for sending ships deeper into space.  A space station or planet-side outpost coule be used.  It could also be a staging area for an aggressive species planning to invade Earth.
• A planet in Globular Cluster M4 is referenced as the oldest planet found - an estimated 8 billion years before Earth.  If you want to discuss more advanced races, an older planet is a good place to start, that way you don't have to get into debates on the speed of the evolutionary process.  They had a head start.
• Fastest planet:  at only 740,000 miles from its sun, this planet makes its orbit every 10 hours.  I honestly couldn't say how to use it, but it just seemed too interesting not to mention.
• Waterworld:  A hyperspace-hop, slipstream-skip, and warp-jump away at only 40 light years lies GJ 1214b.  Researchers believe that this planet (about 3X the size of Earth and over 6X as massive) is most likely a water world.  I shouldn't have to give the obvious suggestion that humans move to this world for the water.  It could be a good place to bring up aquatic alien life (sentient or otherwise).  But another possiblity is another staging area.  Load up on more water for consumption and/or splitting water atoms to take oxygen for life support and hydrogen for fuel.
• Dying world:  WASP-18 is another world with a fast orbit - less than one Earth day and scientists theorize it could be orbiting closer to its star and impending doom.  This could be tied to lost civilization, planetary evacuation types of stories.  Encountering ships from the survivors.
• Most Habitable:  Gliese 581 d.  Only about 20 light-years away this is apparently the world with the greatest possibility for being habitable.  It's about 8X as massive as Earth.  I googled for a bit more since I'd heard of Gliese 581 before and found similar stories about the Gliese 581 c possibly being habitable.  Note that 581c also has a quick orbit  - 13 days.  Again, obvious story-lines one could use include staging area for deeper space travel, colonization...  Consider the potential difficulty of colonizing a world with a short orbit.

Keep in mind that Kepler's mission is to search for Earth-sized/like worlds.  Some of these don't fit that description, but they're interesting nonetheless.

50th Anniversary

As Cinco De Mayo comes to an end, let us take a moment to remember an important historical event - one especially relevant for sci-fi and space fans.  It was 50 years ago today that Alan B. Shepard Jr. climbed into the Freedom 7 capsule and, in a 15 minute sub-orbital flight, became the first American in space.

Thank you Mr. Shepard.

Stargate's End

I'm sure those who read this have already seen some other posts regarding the upcoming cancellation of SyFy's Stargate Universe (SG-U).  I've seen some of them and agree with some things while disagreeing with others.  Let me make a comparison with the prior shows, Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis (SGA). 

SG-1 and SGA had so many similarities that the shows really didn't have a lot of things that differentiated them.  Both had balanced ensemble casts who seemed very familiar.  The immediate leaders Col O'Neil (replaced by Col Mitchell) for SG-1 and Col Sheppard for SGA were competent military commanders/pilots who basically came off as likable goofballs.  Each show had their scientific genius (Carter/McKay).  The addition of Ronan on SGA was their answer for Teal'c.  In some ways Daniel Jackson and Teyla filled the same roles.  While they were very different people, they both seemed to play the role of the team's conscience/wisdom.  SG-U didn't have the chemistry those characters developed.  And fans noticed.

Overall plot similarities.  When it came right down to it, both shows were about protecting Earth against malevolent entities.  For SG-1 it was the Goa'uld and then the Ori.  Both similar concepts - highly advanced races that consider themselves gods and plan to enslave humanity.  For SGA it was the Wraith.  While not having delusions of being deities, the Wraith were obviously a threat.  They wanted us to eat, which does indicate a level of superiority even if it's not god-like.  Face it, we think we're better and more deserving than our dinners.

The producers of SG-U wisely wanted to come up with something different so it didn't look like another spinoff/new names and same types of character.  Good idea in concept, but unfortunately they took it too far from a formula that worked.  I never really got that into the characters.  I looked up a couple of things to refresh my memory (since the show couldn't keep my interest enough to make me care to follow the broader plot).  IIRC, early in the show, Destiny seemed to be following seed-ships that were dropping Stargates on planets.  However, I thought I saw more recently a big reveal that Destiny's true mission had to do with finding the origins of the universe?  If Destiny's the ship that's looking for this great truth/solve this great mystery, why is it following the seed ships?  Shouldn't it be leading? 

Lastly, regarding the overall plot.  SG-1 and SGA had threats to humanity and the fans liked having a constant threat/villain to boo (or even cheer), while SG-U was looking for the source of the universe or something (literally) more cosmic.  The broad plot for SG-1 and SGA, while possibly more cliche, were at least exciting.  For SG-U, I give it's reveal a big "WHO CARES!" 

Better luck next time SyFy.

Books I'm Looking Forward To Getting In Early 2011

So far, there are two books that I'm looking forward to getting either in hard copy or as a download for my iPad.  In the last year, I've basically split my reading.  I'm keeping one hard copy book and one e-book.  The hard copy book is typically what I read on the bus coming home from work, and the e-book is what I'll read in bed.

Anyway.  First up is Center of Gravity: Star Carrier: Book Two by Ian Douglas, due out February 22, 2011.  I have to say that the first book I read by Ian Douglas didn't exactly rate in my top 10.  If you read my December post on escalation vs. twist you'd understand why.  The book had a lot of action, but it seemed too focused on the escalation and not enough twist for me.  That said, I was much more impressed with Earth Strike: Star Carrier:  Book One.  That had enough originality and twists to keep my interest throughout the book.  And it's perfect timing since I recently finished reading my first e-book, When All Seems Lost, by William C. Deitz (part of the Legion of the Damned Series).

The other book I just learned is coming out is the continuation of the Lost Fleet Series by Jack Campbell.  I was thrilled when I first learned that The Lost Fleet Series would be continued in two parts.  The first book for one of those, The Lost Fleet:  Beyond the Frontier:  Dreadnaught, is due out April 26, 2011.  The Lost Fleet Series is one of my three favorite science fiction series and has been a great inspiration to me in my writing.  One reason I loved the Lost Fleet Series is the twists and style of writing gave just enough details on the tech to give credibility and the space battle descriptions were among the best work I've seen.  I thoroughly enjoyed watching Black Jack Geary come to grips with his situation, learn to adapt to a new time and new military, deal with treachery, and his personal feelings.  All-in-all, an exceptionally well-rounded and well-written tale. 

That's all for now.  I urge anybody to put these books on their pre-order list and until you get them,

Write On.

Innovations for Space Flight

I just saw a slideshow on FoxNews' Tech link focusing on 10 new innovations for future space flight.  Some are pretty much what you'd expect.  There's a slide for a new Mars rover, discussion of what kind of transport vehicle will replace the space shuttle, exercise equipment for astronauts and other things that I've been hearing about for a couple of years now.  But then there are a few that I haven't heard about as much.

Examples:  Nantennaes.  Billions of tiny antennae on the wings of unmanned aerial vehicles that would help provide electricity and power for an engine.  While this sounds like a high-tech version of solar panels, the technology is much more advanced and worthy of note to science fiction writers.

A robot motor that could operate in extreme heat, like on Venus.  Again, while not necessarily something people haven't heard of before in sci-fi, it's still interesting to know that there is currently such a device that could operate in temps allegedly up to 932 degrees.  According to the article, the nearest competitors can only withstand half that temperature.  This is a good example of how sometimes tech takes a massive leap forward before returning to incremental advances.

Whoever came up with this one must have been a 7 of 9 fan.  Skin tight space suits.  Apparently this type of attire helps to reduce the bone loss for astronauts in space for extended periods by simulating the effects of gravity.  When you think of the fact that astronauts going to the ISS often spend months there and considering a recent post I made regarding an article on a manned trip to Mars.  A one-way trip would take months - almost a year IIRC, this is an important development.

Should I retire on Mars?

If I'm lucky, I'll be able to retire some time in the 2030s.  A lot can happen in the next 20 years.  From what I've read in an article on FoxNews, perhaps even a manned one-way trip to Mars.  To summarize, the article references a recent article from the Journal of Cosmology that gave great details how a privately funded manned mission to Mars could take place as early as 20 years from now.  More than 400 people have already volunteered as colonists.

Interesting how it specifies "privately funded."  Can't trust the government?  Well, let's face facts.  It seems like the private sector is doing more to advance the possibilities of space travel.  In my draft novel, LEGACY SOLDIER, this fits in with the backstory.  One of the societies came from humanities first attempt at colonizing outside of our solar system using privately funded and developed a prototype faster-than-light propulsion.  Needless to say, they have many volunteers - mostly scientists (high tech types, biologists, physicists - enough different PhDs that it could really mean Piled higher and Deeper).

Anyway, when the colonists first get to Mars, it's likely that the ship itself will be designed to serve as a colony/outpost.  But that couldn't last forever.  Bio-domes and other habitats will probably follow.  Russian architect Alexander Remizov designed a "green ark" that resembles a giant slinky and has the capacity to house 10,000 people.  While the design is most likely intended for Earth-bound use (as implied by the floating version), such a structure would be a likely necessity on a colony.  That is until Arnold Schwartzenegger shows up and finds the alien machine to give Mars an atmosphere (remember Total Recall?)

Now, we also have to think about transportation.  Considering the limited resources, I doubt that big SUVs will be taken along.  Walking might work at first, but some type of motorized transportation would eventually become needed.  Well, GM has debuted some small pod-like cars that seat two, run on two wheels, are completely electronic and can drive themselves.  The Electric Networked Vehicle, or EN-V (pronounced envy) that they anticipate could be ready for the market in 2030.  These small vehicles would be the perfect type of conveyance in a self-contained society.  The EN-V's controller/steering "wheel" is actually rectangular.  At a glance it looks like a small iPad or big iPhone.  Due to the size and having no real dashboard, it would make sense to have guages and other vehicle information available on the controller.

So there you have it.  Real tech mixed with some credible concepts that could lead to the first attempts at off-world colonization within out lifetime.  Until then, this makes for good background information and technological support for credible writing.

Look to the stars and
Write On.

Faster Than Light Travel

Editing, editing, and more editing.  It's more than just reading what you write down.  Sometimes it's double-checking facts and theories for plausibility.  I don't think this is the first time I've said this (and it won't be the last), but IMHO, modern science fiction readers are becoming more advanced in that they won't just "accept" space-age and futuristic tech that isn't at least grounded in current theories. 

One of the key technologies I had to research for my work-in-progress novel is faster-than-light travel, or FTL.  There are several theories, but it seems they all have a common theme - that you really don't "move" faster than light.  Physicists refer back to Einstein's theories that to physicially move an object faster than light would require unlimited energy.  So the most accepted theories FTL have to change the playing field for propulsion, but what I don't hear as much about is theories behind navigation.  I don't think we're ready to explain that.

One of the most widely recognized FTL terms comes from my favorite - Star Trek.  I'm talking of course about warp drive.  But how does it work?  Warp drive does just what it sounds like.  It contracts space in front of the ship, effectivley reducing the relative distance the ship must travel, while expanding space behind the ship.  The ship, sitting inside of a warp bubble basically rides the warp like surfing a wave.  I find it interesting that many articles use the surfing analogy.  While the aforementioned Star Trek is all but given credit for creating the idea of warp drive, credit for a currently scientific theory related to that technology goes to Mexican physicist Miguel Alcubierre.  His 1994 theories about warping space is best known as the Alcubierre metric.  The Alcubierre drive has been gaining popularity as scientifically plausible methods of FTL in science fiction.

Physicists like Gerald Cleaver and Richard Obousy have been researching string theory, which considers 10 spacial dimensions and that a warp field could exist by manipulating one of the six unidentifiable dimensions.  However, this way around Einstein's theory has the same pitfall.  The energy needed.  However, Cleaver and Obousy have theorized the possibility of manipulating.dark matter in the warping process.

That brings up the next theory - worm holes or artificial black holes.  Black holes have been used in literature and science fiction for decades, and

When I first read an article that CERN officials admitted that the Large Hadron Collider was shut down when a microscopic black hole was created during an experiment, I looked at the date and wondered if it was an April Fool's joke.  Guess not. While some in the scientific community probably found this frightening, theoretical physicists and science fiction fans probably looked at this as excellent new in that it could be considered one step closer to FTL technology.  That's great, as long as we don't get sucked into oblivion as a result of these experiments.

While all of these theories focus on the potential for "propulsion" very little is really discussed about navigation.  If we were to create FTL technology, the obvious first step would be to use unmanned vessels.  Send them out, say a couple of hours or days and then wait for hours or days to receive telemetry.  But with the nearest stars light years away, this would be the equivalent of using a sailboat across the Mississippi river to guage a person's ability to navigate that ship design across the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and back (many, many times). 

In my draft novel, I do touch on this idea that testing the navigation could be as big a problem as creating FTL technology.  I use an idea that humans try colonizing outside of the solar system with a prototype FTL, but the navigational theories for long journeys are flawed.  As a result, the colony ships aren't heard from until centuries later when descendants of one colony ship return to Earth discretely looking for help.  And, for what it's worth, I use the particle collision/artificial black hole theory in my FTL tech.


For anyone researching that prefers more visual stimuli than reading article after article, I'd recommend looking for DVDs or replays of the fourth season of History Channel's series:  The Universe.  Episodes in that season included very insightful and entertaining discussions on Space Wars and Light Speed.

If you catch reruns.  You know what to do during the commercials.

Write On.