Science Fiction Newsletter - June 2011

For a full list of previous issues, go to: "Science Fiction Newsletter - Archives" 

June 1, 2011

Editor: EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger
Guest editor: D. R. Prescott




1. About this Newsletter
2. Letter from the Editor
3. Special Feature
4. Editor's Picks
5. Ask & Answer

Living in Space

In this issue we continue our tour of the solar system. First, our characters have to learn how to live in space, at least during the lengthy transit to most destinations. This month's Letter from the Editor discusses some things you might not know about living in space, but your characters probably should.

The solar system destination-of-the-month is Mars. Our guest editor, D. R. Prescott , has contributed the Special Feature, an in-depth look at what our characters might face if they consider colonizing the Red Planet. D.R. Prescott is one of WDC's most distinguished scientific writers. His portfolio is rich in scientific essays and critical thinking, dealing with topics commonly used by science fiction writers. I highly recommend a visit to his portfolio for any serious science fiction reader or writer.

"There are so many benefits to be derived from space exploration and exploitation; why not take what seems to me the only chance of escaping what is otherwise the sure destruction of all that humanity has struggled to achieve for 50,000 years?" Isaac Asimov

Now That's Living

According to Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, and countless other sci-fi shows, living in space is pretty much like living on Earth. Gravity is always roughly one-g, air is always breathable, and presumably, toilets flush down. But in real, authentic space travel (like what our characters do) living in space might not be this simple. Here are some things they might find important to know before they set out across the solar system:

         Speaking of toilets, the shuttle commode doesn't flush up or down. It uses fan-powered suction that collects stuff into containers that are exposed to vacuum, and well, you get the picture. A mock-up of the shuttle toilet, complete with built-in camera, is used to train astronauts how to position themselves.

         Almost every astronaut experiences Space Adaptation Syndrome, also known as space sickness. Like motion sickness, it includes nausea and headaches, which are caused by confusing information reaching the inner ears. Symptoms last two to four days, so would likely affect your characters early in their travels.

         In weightlessness, fluids shift and cause nasal congestion and a puffy face. Bones lose calcium, muscles atrophy, the bowels slow, and the heart shrinks. Intense and lengthy exercise regimens can combat some of these effects.

         According to long-duration cosmonauts, the hardest thing to readjust to about life back on Earth is that when you let go of objects, they fall. I suspect that the same thing, or at least a similar sense of confusion, would apply to our stories' characters in changing gravitational environments.

         If you suddenly were exposed to near vacuum, very quickly the water on your tongue, in your nose, and in your eyes would boil away. This actually happened in 1965, when a space suit failed during a NASA experiment and the astronaut was exposed to a near vacuum for 15 seconds. That sucked.

         But if you are ever exposed to the vacuum of space without a suit on, don't hold your breath. Sudden decompression would cause your lungs to rupture. But good news everyone! You wouldn't explode! Lack of oxygen in the blood is what would kill you, in about two minutes. Also, Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic space-tourism company, considered barring women with breast implants due to fears that they might blow up. I kid you not.

         The dangerous part of real space missions seems to be getting to and from space in the first place. No one has actually died in space, only on the way up or the way down. Maybe it's better just to stay up there.

But on the brighter side:

         People don't tend to snore in space, even if they snore on Earth. If my wife knew this she'd have me on the next spaceship to Mars.

         The food doesn't have to be Tang, mush or food cubes anymore. But the salt and pepper has to be in liquid form because sprinkled grains would float away, irritate eyes and noses, and clog vents.

         You'd be tall. The decreased pressure on the spine in zero-g causes most space travelers to grow about two inches.

Now that your travelers are fully prepared to face all unexpected conditions, let them blast off to the next destination of our Solar System Tour! Mars, here we come!

"Among the authorities it is generally agreed that the Earth is at rest in the middle of the universe, and they regard it as inconceivable and even ridiculous to hold the opposite opinion." Nicolaus Copernicus

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a grave announcement to make. Incredible as it may seem, strange beings who landed in New Jersey tonight are the vanguard of an invading army from Mars." Orson Wells, The War of the Worlds

Mars: Barsoom or Bust?

Contributed by:

D. R. Prescott

         Since the 19th century, the red planet has served as backdrop or source for many science fiction stories. One of the early notables is, of course, H. G. Well's War of the Worlds, published in 1898, followed in the next few decades with Edgar Rice Burroughs' popular exploits of an Earth-born gentleman named John Carter on Mars, or as the natives called it, Barsoom. The Big Three (Heinlein, Clarke, and Asimov) also wrote about Mars at one time or another, as well as many other science fiction writers over the last hundred years, lest we forget Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles or Lester del Rey's Marooned on Mars, among many other fine works employing the Martian mystique.

         Young science fiction fans like me spent a lot of time during the 1950's mesmerized by imagined escapades on that distant world. Back then, little things like air to breathe, water to drink, exposure to radiation and effects of less gravity were often swept away with a stroke of technological magic or, early on, it was popularly assumed that Mars was similar to Earth with intelligent Martians. To the dismay of many, the Viking spacecraft landed and showed us a foreign world compared to the ones we imagined in our youth. As fanciful suppositions were ripped apart by the stark realities of seeing Mars as it is rather than what we wished it was, many of us began to read science fiction with a more critical eye, making it tougher for science fiction writers to portray Mars as a wonderful paradise filled with exotic native life forms.

         Mars has some significant drawbacks for humans living on its surface. There are a number of reasons but four big ones are gravity, radiation, distance, and area. Science fiction readers are usually quick to see flaws in the science behind the fiction, which diehard fans can find distracting and annoying.

         Gravity: Gravity differences seem to be glossed over in a lot of thinking about colonizing planets and moons in our Solar System. People who become permanent residents of any significantly less than one-g world (and I can't imagine anyone wanting to live on a much greater than one-g planet) will almost surely face life altering changes in their and their progenies' physiologies. Trying to return to our home planet after living in the Mars gravity field (only 38 per cent that of Earth) for generations will very likely require extensive preparation. It may be that after a few generations, returning or even visiting a one-g environment may be just plain too difficult. Our Moon at one-sixth-g would be even worse. Could that mean if we do establish permanent colonies on low gravity worlds like Mars that humanity might branch into new sub-species with physiologies defined by how much gravity one lives in?

         Radiation: There is discussion of terraforming Mars. A thicker atmosphere would certainly cut radiation levels a bit but likely not enough to protect people from lethal doses of radiation from the Sun's output, especially during coronal mass ejections. Mars does not have a significant natural radiation shield like the Earth's natural magnetic field. When one talks about terraforming, that means more than seeding Mars with planet-changing microbes or algae; developing breathable atmosphere; and unleashing frozen water reserves. It also means doing something to stave off the nasty effects of radiation, retaining a breathable atmosphere in the presence of the persistent solar wind, and possibly coping with interesting seasonal variations.

         Distance: Under optimum conditions, travel between the two planets still takes over six months with our current technology. The logistics of supplying a Mars base becomes formidable unless the explorers can live off the land to some degree and/or some sort of ferry service is developed, such as Buzz Aldrin's idea for a Mars Cycler. Mars has a more elliptical orbit than Earth and its year is twice that of ours. Considering the orbital choreography between Earth and Mars, settlers will be dealing with being 55 million kilometers to nearly 400 million kilometers away from home. Just the isolation from the rest of humanity may be a significant psychological issue. Of course, early settlers to America were isolated from their homelands but there was a big difference: there was readily available air to breathe, water to drink and significant resources for survival.

         Area: Mars has considerably less surface area than Earth, about 28 per cent. That limits future colonists, assuming Mars could be sustainably terraformed and somehow passively protected from the Sun's lethal radiation. If one takes the leap that Mars could be made as bountiful as Earth, only a small fraction of Earth's current population could inhabit Mars sustainably. That is a huge assumption that in the hands of a deft science fiction writer might be made plausible through future technology.

         Another Consideration: The United Nations and the U.S. Census Bureau both predict that human population will be around 9 billion by 2050. If human beings continue to procreate above replacement level—1.85 children per woman—as we did in the last century, humans would likely overrun the Mars' carrying capacity in short order, which brings up a question to be explored later: What might be our Solar System's carrying capacity?

***

         Ponder that, paste a Barsoom or Bust sign on the tail of your space ship, and head off into science fiction tales yet-to-be-told about that alluring red dot in Earth's sky.

"We need to take command of the solar system to gain that wealth, and to escape the sea of paper our government is becoming, and for some decent chance of stopping a Dinosaur Killer asteroid." Larry Niven

Here are a few samples of how WDC members are already traveling in space. Enjoy!

ID: 1748602   (Rated: E) Mars: Our Next Step?  Should Mars be next on humans’ spacefaring agenda? by D. R. Prescott

ID: 1493110   (Rated: 13+) Cheep Space  When we go to space we need to be carefull about taking our old problems with us. by pierre

ID: 1776059   (Rated: 13+) The Dark Side of the Moon  An astronaut must come to terms with his sins in the isolation of space. by Joe Nelson

ID: 1768442 Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. by Not Available.

ID: 1552570   (Rated: 13+) Space Exploration  Two boys search for something outside their world by ❦ Revising Novelist

ID: 1734716 Invalid Item  This item number is not valid. by Not Available.

ID: 1758299   (Rated: ASR) Houston: We Have A Problem...   You go to great lengths in order to deal with any situation in space. Well, ALMOST any... by Indelibleink

ID: 709466   (Rated: 13+) Spacewalk  An astronaut gets his first big chance at a real-life space walk by W.D.Wilcox © ¿ Φ

ID: 1755110   (Rated: 13+) Homecoming  After a long stint in space, Carrie comes home to her family. by Steve Wilds

ID: 1731775   (Rated: E) Working the System (2nd Place)  Out of the question. A hamster is not to go on a long space mission... unless... by BScholl

Poetry:

ID: 1769850   (Rated: E) Hail Captain Piccard  2nd Place in the Star Trek competition April 2011 by Give Me A Break

ID: 1749707   (Rated: E) The Astronaut's Song  Let's be honest...could there be anything cooler than going to space? by Chris

Guest Editors Wanted!

For upcoming issues of the Unofficial Science Fiction newsletter, I would like to invite subscribers to contribute. We are currently taking a tour of the Solar System, looking for interesting destinations for our stories' characters. Consider writing a "Special Feature," based on this or any other scientific of sci-fi interest you may have. Don't hesitate to contact me anytime if this appeals to you! -ed.

Last month's Newsletter topic was our introduction to the Solar System

:
D. R. Prescott : "Another great newsletter and thank you for highlighting one of my blogs, "Why Off-Earth?" My book, Is There Time?, at most major eBook sellers, focuses on a strategic plan for humanity that is directed at humanity avoiding extinction. That is the singular, compelling reason for humans to expand off-Earth as I see it.

"I did a follow up blog titled, Mars, the Next Step? It attempts to lay out an argument that humans should learn to live off-Earth close enough to home first (within Lunar orbit) before we send manned expeditions to Mars and beyond. We do appear to have congruent thinking on this topic."

LJPC - the tortoise : "I enjoyed the May NL very much. I had no idea Hawking supports colonizing space. Considering we're doing an awful job with preserving our environment now, I don't think we deserve to have another playground to ruin yet. But he's right - maybe in 200 years we'll have leaned something. Thanks for the great NL!"

Thank you so much everyone! I really appreciate the feedback from readers. Keep it coming! - ed.

Don't Be Shy! Write Into This Unofficial Newsletter!

Reader feedback and comments is important to the Unofficial Science Fiction Newsletter (USFNL). Much of the Newsletter's content is based on reader feedback and discussion. Feedback can always be sent directly to EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger , but to make discussion even easier, a USFNL Forum has been set up. Feel free to post and interact at the Forum; some of the discussion may end up here! And don't forget to add the Forum (below) to your list of Favorites, and post often!

ID: 1703191   (Rated: 13+) Science Fiction Newsletter Forum  Discussion of NL Topics, Reader Feedback, Ask & Answer by EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger

Please check out our "sponsor":

ID: 1617315   (Rated: 18+) The Sci-fi Writers Guild  Collaborations, discussions and reviews - Welcome to the Sci-fi Writers Guild by EvilDawg - A Vigilante Ranger!

Thanks for reading, and see you next month!

© Copyright 2011 EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger (UN: earlyhours at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
EarlyHours-A Vigilante Ranger has granted Writing.Com, its affiliates and syndicates non-exclusive rights to display this work.