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"It’s really science fiction becoming reality"
"It," in this case, is New Mexico's new Spaceport America, the world's first purpose-built commercial spaceport.That's my birth state!Have space suit, will travel?
In Robert A. Heinlein's novel Have Space Suit, Will Travel, his teenaged hero, Kip, enters an advertising jingle writing contest for Skyway Soap, for which the first prize is an all-expenses-paid trip to the Moon. Kip doesn't win, but instead gets a consolation prize, a used space suit, and ends up having incredibly adventures that take him a lot further than the Moon.I had one of those moments when I realized I'm living in the science fictional future of my childhood when I went into Shopper's Drug Mart to pick up some Dixie Cups and found myself face to face with a poster advertising a contest: "Hitch A Ride to Outer Space" it said. "Enter for a ...A sleek, skin-tight spacesuit?
This could do wonders for space tourism (although the focus is on exploration). Not to mention science fiction movies.Called the BioSuit, and under development at MIT, it's..."...a revolutionary departure from the traditional model. Instead of using gas pressurization, which exerts a force on the astronaut's body to protect it from the vacuum of space, the suit relies on mechanical counter-pressure, which involves wrapping tight layers of material around the body. The trick is to make a suit that is skintight but stretches with the body, allowing freedom of movement.Over the past 40 years, spacesuits have gotten progressively heavier, and they now weigh in at about 300 pounds. That bulk -- much of which ...Inflatable space module performing well
Bigelow Aerospace's Genesis II inflatable space module continues to perform well; the company has released the first high-resolution photos from orbit.I like their slogan: "Getting you excited about space again."Not that I've never not been excited, personally. I was pleased to watch my six-year-old daughter enact a flight to the moon in the playground today. That's my girl.Bigelow continues to plan big things
Robert Bigelow continues to have, er, "Big" plans for "low" earth orbit:The Bigelow Aerospace commercial inflatable manned space module venture intends to have three large multi-module outposts in Earth orbit by 2015 to serve different user communities.CEO Robert T. Bigelow says his engineers predict 800 paying crewmembers could fly to Bigelow outposts over the next 10 years.I hope he's right. Next up to watch for from Bigelow Aerospace will be the launch of the Genesis II module aboard a Russian SS-18 Dnepr booster this spring (Genesis I is in orbit and has performed well):Although the same 15 X 8-ft. size as Genesis I with four solar arrays on each end, Genesis ...Bigelow’s big plans
Bigelow Aerospace has big plans for Earth orbit--and beyond:Even as Bigelow Aerospace gears up for launching its second prototype space station into orbit, the company has set its sights on something much, much bigger: a project to assemble full-blown space villages at a work site between Earth and the moon, then drop them to the lunar surface, ready for immediate move-in.Read the whole interview with Alan Boyle at Cosmic Log.You go, professor!
Stephen Hawking is planning a trip into space for 2009, courtesy of Richard Branson at Virgin Galactic.I can't think of anyone who deserves a free trip more."Gradatim Ferociter!"
The veil has been lifted on the secretive Blue Origin private space program created by Jeff Bezos (of Amazon.com fame--and fortune). Their website now boasts photos and video of their recent first test flight.Oh, and the slogan means, more or less, "Bit by bit--ferociously!"And if you happen to be a rocket scientist--they're hiring!UPDATE:Apparently this post is at or near the top of Google results when you search for "Gradatim Ferociter," which is doing wonderful things for my hit counter.So...while you're here, check the rest of Hassenpfeffer. Not to mention my books. Like adventurous science fiction of the space opera variety? Check out my science fiction novel Lost ...Canadians vie for the X-Prize
Human beings have been going into space for 40 years, riding vast amounts of U.S. or Russian government money, poured into massive rockets that are mostly thrown away after one use. But many people think this is a terrible way to go into space. If we want to make space truly accessible (at a cost of less than the $20 million paid by Dennis Tito), we have to find a way to get there more cheaply, and without massive government involvement. Well, guess what? Twenty teams from around the world are at this moment competing for a $10 million (U.S.) prize to launch the first private astronaut on a short flight into space. Two of ...
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Magebane
“Spectacular” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Evil wizards, multi-level conspiracies, hidden kingdoms…Lee Arthur Chane…has done a marvelous job…Magebane is a very entertaining book and well worth the time.” – A.M. Donovan, Night Owl Reviews
I happily recommend Magebane and I’ll certainly give Chane’s next novel a try based on this one.” —Bill Capossere, Fantasy Literature
“…an original and delightful tale of epic fantasy and magic, steampunk science, adventure, tragedy, and love…” – Errant Dreams Reviews
Eight centuries ago, the world changed. A devastating war swept the lands, and the MageLords, who had long ruled by virtue of their spell powers, were driven to a distant place, separated from those they had ruled by a magical Barrier. With magic banished from the rest of the world, the MageLords became mere legend and people turned to science to improve their lives. But if one man has his way, all that is about to change….
Written as Lee Arthur Chane (the middle names of my older brothers, Jimmy Lee and Dwight Arthur, and myself, Edward Chane Willett).
Marseguro
Winner of the 2009 Prix Aurora Award for Best Long-Form Work in English
Water world Marseguro is home to the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from human DNA. When an unmodified human seeks revenge on a Selkie by activating a distress beacon taken from the remains of the original colony ship, a strikeforce is sent from Earth to eradicate the genetic abomination. Yet Marseguro will not prove as easy to conquer as the Earth force anticipates…
Terra Insegura
Finalist for the 2010 Prix Aurora Award for Best Novel in English
Marseguro, a water world far from Earth, is home to a colony of humans and the Selkies, a water-dwelling race created from modified human DNA. For seventy years the colony has lived in peace. Then Earth discovers Marseguro, and a strike force is sent to eradicate this “abomination.” But Marseguro has created a genetically tailored plague to use against Earth’s Holy Warriors. With the enemy defeated, the people of Marseguro feel they are safe. But Chris Keating, the traitor who signaled Marseguro’s location to the Holy Warriors, has fled to Earth, unknowingly carrying the deadly plague within him. The people of Marseguro feel they must send a ship to Earth with a life-saving vaccine. Only time will tell what awaits them when they reach their destination.
Lost in Translation
Kathryn was a human empath whose world and life had been destroyed when the alien S’sinn slaughtered her parents before her very eyes. Jarrikk was a young S’sinn, an unproven warrior who’d seen his flight mates slaughtered by the humans who’d sought to colonize his world.
As humans and S’sinn found themselves on the brink of war, these two Translators had to work together to find a common ground and avert catastrophe. But whether their Translators’ oath and training could overcome the enemies leagued against them was very much in doubt…
Archives
Song of the Sword
My new YA fantasy novel from Lobster Press
Before the Lady called her, Ariane’s life was a mess. Two years ago, her mother disappeared. She bounced around different foster homes until her aunt finally took her in. The meanest clique at her new high school has decided to make Ariane their prime target. And to top it all off, she is having frightening premonitions, and they are becoming more intense. The moment water touches her skin, she sees visions of a lake, a lady, and a sword. When a staircase opens up in the middle of Wascana Lake and the water begins singing to her, she has no choice but to answer the call….
Historic Walks of Regina and Moose Jaw
Ten walks to points of historic and architectural interest in the cities of Regina and Moose Jaw (eight walks for Regina, two for Moose Jaw).
Johnny Cash: The Man in Black
When country music legend Johnny Cash took the stage at Folsom State Prison in 1968, he solidified the public’s perception of him as a rebel who followed his own path. Born in Arkansas during the Great Depression, Cash endured poverty, the death of his older brother, and a difficult relationship with his father. He turned to gospel and country music to express the pain, and after many years of struggling, his songs of hardship and hope would finally reach the ears of those waiting for an artist who represented them, ordinary people fighting to survive.
Andy Warhol: Everyone Will Be Famous for 15 Minutes
“Paintings are too hard. Machines have less problems…” In the 1960s, Andy Warhol became the most famous creator of a new style of art called pop art, which transformed mass-produced items of popular culture into fine works of art. From Campbell’s Soup cans to photographs of Marilyn Monroe, Warhol’s willingness to use anything and everything from the mass media in his work expanded the range of subject matter available to artists. His avant-garde films, artistic usage of American icons, and unconventional social life made him a controversial figure, both greatly admired and deeply reviled. A trendsetter rather than a trend-follower, a dispassionate observer of both the seamy and celebrity sides of life, Warhol was a true American rebel.
Disease-Hunting Scientist
The true stories of six real disease hunters. Epidemiologists travel the world trying to keep us safe from deadly diseases—from high-tech labs in Canada to remote villages in Africa. Learn how these “disease detectives” are coming up with new ways to fight disease, and find out if you have what it takes to become an epidemiologist, too!
The Bounty Mutiny
The Bounty was a British ship visiting Tahiti in 1789 when some of the crew overthrew the captain, William Bligh, and set him adrift in a tiny boat with sailors loyal to him. The mutiny resulted in a number of trials–both of the men who mutinied and of Bligh for losing command of his ship. These fascinating events have been the source for numerous Hollywood movies, most recently The Bounty. The Bounty Mutiny: From the Court Case to the Movie explores the famous case and the movies it inspired.
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