Science Fiction
Science Fiction
Parallel Universe: We Might Be Living in an Alternate Reality!
With past years our understanding of science and the universe has expanded exponentially giving us a complete new outlook towards it and opening up a very controversial idea yet an intriguing one: do parallel universes exist? People might say “that’s a completely philosophical bullshit having no solid proof” but as science and our understanding of the universe is escalating we have, with all interest and purpose started taking this idea critically and realized that the probability of this simple idea being actually true is quite high. Many popular and widely successful theories like the quantum entanglement and the theory of expansion of the universe has led many of the scientists…
Tatooine-Like Planet Discovered Orbiting Two Suns
An exoplanet that orbits around two stars, known as a circumbinary planet, has recently been discovered by astronomers using the Kepler space telescope. The planet dubbed Kepler-16b has been compared to the planet Tatooine from Star Wars, due to the fact that it has two Suns in its sky.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Tether propulsion in fiction
This is the fourth and final part of the tether propulsion article of the non-rocket spacelaunch methods article series. This post will focus on references to the tether propulsion concept in fiction. The most prominent science fiction novels on the subject include: The Last Theorem is Arthur C. Clarke’s posthumously published novel which he co-wrote with Frederik Pohl. The novel describes the skyhook as a means of interplanetary travel rather than simply a means to reach orbit. It is used as a means of transport by athletes and delegates to the “first-ever lunar Olympics”. Another interesting novel is The Descent of Anansi published in 1982 by Steven Barnes and Larry…
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Tether propulsion safety issues
The use of tethers in space poses many challenges and safety issues. This third part to the tether propulsion article will focus on those issues. A lot of the challenges and safety issues of a space tether system are similar to those of a space elevator described in a previous article, but some are unique to the space tether concept.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Tether propulsion
Having finished writing about the space elevator, I am moving on to another spacelaunch method in this new article in the non-rocket spacelaunch series. Tether propulsion consists in using long, very strong cables (known as tethers) to change the velocity of spacecraft and payloads. The tethers may be used to initiate launch, complete launch, or alter the orbit of a spacecraft. This form of propulsion would be significantly less expensive than spaceflight using modern rocket engines. Artist’s conception of satellite with a tether. Image by NASA. How does it work? Tethers are kept straight by either rotating end for end, or by the difference in the strength of gravity over…
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevators in Fiction
This is the fourth and final part of the space elevator article of the non-rocket spacelaunch methods article series. This post will focus on references to the space elevator concept in fiction. The first mention of anything remotely similar to a space elevator was the beanstalk in the children’s fairy tale called Jack and the Beanstalk, published in 1807. In this story a plant grows up into the sky enabling Jack to climb it and see what’s up there. This is why the word “beanstalk” has been coined as another name for a space elevator. Now on to more serious literature: My all time favorite book series including a reference…
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Extraterrestrial Space Elevator Concepts
Earth is not the only planet that could have a space elevator. Variants of the basic space elevator design could also be built on other celestial bodies in the solar system. Most of those variants could fit into three categories…
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevator Safety Issues
The space elevator is a gigantic concept and as such it has many safety issues that would have to be resolved before construction begins. A space elevator would present a navigational hazard, both to aircraft and spacecraft.
Non-Rocket Spacelaunch – Space Elevator
Today I’m starting a new series of articles about non-rocket spacelaunch methods. Non-rocket spacelaunch is the idea of reaching outer space without the use of conventional chemical rockets, which is currently the only method in use. Why non-rocket spacelaunch? Because the current chemical rockets are really expensive. In order to further explore outer space and establish a permanent human presence in space we need more cost efficient spacelaunch methods. In fact, present-day launch costs are in the range of $10,000 to $25,000 per kilogram from Earth to low Earth orbit. This is much too expensive for any serious space colonization efforts. Therefore we need to move beyond conventional chemical rockets…
Blog updates, TV & eclipse photography
I’m now officially done with all that college work. The semester is finally over! 🙂 Therefore I will be able to write more regularly. I will bring back all the weekly series that I couldn’t keep up with during the end of semester exam period. So now, other than the “Weekly Stargazing Calendar”, there will also be the “Astronomy Picture of the Week” and the “Follow Friday & Weekly Stumbles” series and possibly more. For all of us science fiction fans, there are bad news: Stargate Universe is being cancelled. They will finish the other half of season 2, but there will be no season 3, as previously planned. This…
