Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!

From: Androcles (androc1es_at_nospamblueyonder.co.uk)
Date: 09/02/04 

Date: Thu, 02 Sep 2004 23:12:57 GMT

"AA Institute" <abdul.ahad@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:adbf5bc1.0409021233.73c99a3f@posting.google.com...
| "Androcles" <androc1es@nospamblueyonder.co.uk> wrote in message
news:<sXrUc.2028$OP.24130596@news-text.cableinet.net>...
| > "AA Institute" <abdul.ahad@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
| |
| > | Writing a sci-fi novel around a trip to Alpha Centauri in a generation
| > | starship sounds an excellent idea and I have imagined some of it
| > | already. If anyone beats me to it,
| >
| > Oh come on... it's been done. Haven't you read any sci-fi? Larry Niven
and
| > Jerry Pournelle's "Mote in God's Eye" for example. Or "Eon"? Even nearly
| > Asimov with a cop jaunting off to the planet Aurora? That shouldn't
stop
| > you writing another, though. There is always a demand for new fiction.
| >
| >
| > | please can you remember to add some
| > | supernatural horror, as I'm into all that spine chilling stuff. A sort
| > | of "Arthur C. Clarke meets Stephen King" would be ideal...
| >
| > Me? I'm not adding anything. It's your yarn, not mine.
| > You should remember that it was Clarke that dreamt up the communications
| > satellite.
| >
| How can I forget! Arthur C. Clarke is my role model when it comes to
| powerful self-promotion. All his books have on their reverse: "He is a
| true prophet of the Space Age!", "He invented the geostationary orbit"
| (I didn't think you could *invent* something like that, but never
| mind), "He has an asteroid named after him"...

Oh, all sorts of claims can be made. I've heard it claimed that Einstein
"discovered" the speed of light was source independent. It isn't.

|
| He does write some excellent stuff though. "2001 - A space oddyssey"
| was the only novel that I read of his, which was totally brilliant,
| and I really would like to read a few more of his many excellent
| novels.
|
| And the other day I was watching a re-run of his famous "Arthur C.
| Clarke's Mysterious World" series on video (aired on UK TV back in the
| 1980s if anyone is old enough to remember?). In one episode he was
| examining this ancient, 2000 year old battery (lead-acid?) found in
| Babylonia (modern day Iraq). This is what he had to say:-
|
| "Since man knew how to harness electricity that long ago, imagine if
| he'd continued developing technology at that rate up to the present
| day, not only would we have made a few footprints on the Moon by now,
| but we would have colonised every single star visible to the naked eye
| across the whole night sky!". (Steady on now, Arthur...)
|
| Or something along those lines any way. Goes to show how much optimism
| we once had... and can still have if only they'd push ahead with
| bigger space exploration budgets for Moon and Mars, etc.
|
| Abdul

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!
    ... |> | Writing a sci-fi novel around a trip to Alpha Centauri in a generation ... |> you writing another, though. ... | was the only novel that I read of his, which was totally brilliant, ... | bigger space exploration budgets for Moon and Mars, ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!
    ... |> | Writing a sci-fi novel around a trip to Alpha Centauri in a generation ... |> you writing another, though. ... | was the only novel that I read of his, which was totally brilliant, ... | bigger space exploration budgets for Moon and Mars, ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!
    ... > | Writing a sci-fi novel around a trip to Alpha Centauri in a generation ... > you writing another, though. ... was the only novel that I read of his, which was totally brilliant, ... "Since man knew how to harness electricity that long ago, imagine if ...
    (sci.space.policy)
  • Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!
    ... > | Writing a sci-fi novel around a trip to Alpha Centauri in a generation ... > you writing another, though. ... was the only novel that I read of his, which was totally brilliant, ... "Since man knew how to harness electricity that long ago, imagine if ...
    (sci.physics.relativity)
  • Re: Interstellar Propulsion idea using an Asteroid and a few comets!
    ... > | Writing a sci-fi novel around a trip to Alpha Centauri in a generation ... > you writing another, though. ... was the only novel that I read of his, which was totally brilliant, ... "Since man knew how to harness electricity that long ago, imagine if ...
    (sci.astro.amateur)