Author name: gardensofhansen@hotmail.com

In the Christian world we used BC (before Christ) and AD (Anno Domini or the year of the lord). For the secular version there is BCE (before the common era and CE (common era). In Science Fiction there is BSW (Before Star Wars) and AV (Anno Vader). So, I’m up to 2 and 1 BSW or 1975 and 1976 for my favorite Science Fiction movies. For my favorite science fiction movies of 1975 and 1976 there are twelve candidates: 1975 Death Race 2000 A Boy and His Dog The Stepford Wives Roller Ball Escape to Witch Mountain The Strongest Man in the World The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I’m typically not in to post-apocalyptic movies (with a few exceptions). Death Race 2000 and A Boy and His Dog don’t fit into the exceptions. The Stepford Wives never appealed to me, and James Caan in Rollerball is yet another dystopian movie where the world’s problems are solved by surrogate gladiator type events. The 1975 choices fell to three rather quickly. That leaves two Disney entries: Escape to Witch Mountain and The Strongest Man in the World, or the rather bizarre cult classic, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” In all three cases I would recommend you see them once if you have not done so. Escape to Witch Mountain has a much better remake in “Race to Witch Mountain”. “The Strongest Man in the World” was the last of three films starring Kurt Russell as Dexter Riley that started with “The Computer wore Tennis shoes”. The trilogy humor was recycled quite a bit, so again not a winner. I’m starting to think 1975 was another bad year for Science Fiction (and I’m right). I think I’ll go with the least undesirable choice, “Rollerball”. Can you come up with a better choice? 1976 is a bit better. I had six finalists, but it is much more competitive. “At the Earth’s Core” is a movie I wanted to like as it is based on the same title from an Edgar Rice Burroughs novel. It is pretty weak both for plot and cast. “The Food of the Gods” is more for horror affectionatos. “Future World” is a sequel to “Westworld”. Watch the original instead. “The Man who fell to Earth” was an intriguing premise and stars singer David Bowie. It probably worked better as a TV series. My favorite movie from 1976 and I could include 1975 would be Logan’s Run. My wife and I saw it as the second feature of a double feature leading with Westworld. Both of us enjoyed this dystopian film which is lighter than most. It starred Michael York as the protagonist and Jenny Agutter as the female lead. Richard Jordan did a great job as the antagonist hunter, and it has a couple of nostalgic cameos with Peter Ustinov and Farrah Fawcett. Of all the science fiction movies from 1975 and 1976 there are several I’m glad I watched, but wouldn’t really want to watch again (ever). “Logan’s Run” is the true exception for this period. My wife and I rewatched this film recently, and I’d watch it again every year or two and smile. My biggest disappointment for 1975 and 1976 would have to be “At the Earth’s Core”. There have been a variety of B movies based on the premise, but none have achieved the possibilities for the film.

It has been a good couple of weeks for the audible book, Orion’s Spur Demeter, the first book in the Orion’s spur series. It has stayed in the top hundred reaching as high as #9 in the category of Action & Adventure Sci-Fi for Teens. Ironically, of the five books in the series, book 5, Paragon’s Virtue has also had a good run, although it is now ranked #113 in the same category. Books 2-5 have been in the top #100 in various categories, but have fallen out this week. I still can’t figure out why the last book in the series is doing better than books 2, 3, and 4 “Return to Demeter”, “Defending Demeter” and “Haumeah”. Probably just a fluke. I’ll keep you informed over the next few weeks.

Aloha – As I looked through the Demeter manuscript I realized that I couldn’t share more from volume 1 without giving away the balance of the plot, so I’m moving on to book 2, Return to Demeter. In book 2 Ryder, his sister and their friends return to Earth. Readjusting to Earth’s gravity is a major issue. But a bigger issue for Ryder is returning to school and running into the bully who put him in the hospital and in effect started Ryder’s journey to Demeter. Barry Hales has not changed much in the past year, and he still targets Ryder. “Well, if it isn’t my old buddy, Bill Ryder,” he heard a voice behind him that made the words Bill and Ryder sound like a curse. Turning, Ryder saw Barry Hales just as a punch caught him in his left arm and send him spinning. Barry was quick to grab him, so that he didn’t fall. “Looks like you aren’t going to have any girls here to protect you.” Barry whispered, and then let him go. “What’s going on over there?” a craggy voice caught Ryder’s attention. “Nothing, just greeting an old friend,” Barry yelled back toward the voice. The voice belonged to an ancient looking man missing two fingers, who stood at the front of the room that was divided into two sections. There was a classroom area that Ryder had just entered with long narrow tables and stools rather than chairs. There was a larger area with concrete floors and power tools and benches that was going to be their workroom. Mr. LeBlanc had been teaching at the high school for over forty years. Somewhere along the line he had lost most of his hearing, and as rumor had it, two of his fingers on a band saw. He wore large, beige colored plastic hearing aids, but Ryder wondered if they helped at all, as Mr. LeBlanc seemed oblivious to any noise going on in the classroom. It was Ryder’s misfortune to be seated next to Barry for the class period. They were learning something about drafting, but Ryder was having a hard time paying attention. Every five minutes or so, Barry would slug Ryder hard enough to knock him off his stool. Three of the boys in their immediate proximity would chuckle along with Barry each time it happened. After the third event, Ryder responded, as he got back on his stool, “Football head.” Barry had never liked that nickname. It seemed appropriate as Barry was a starter on the football team, but he was sensitive about the shape of his head. It was long and narrow, the results of a forceps delivery at birth. So, from the front, his face looked sort of like a football. From the sides his head looked round. He kept his hair short for football season, which exacerbated the look. Barry hit Ryder harder, again knocking him off his stool. Ryder got up, brushed himself off, reattached his rear end to his stool, and turned to Barry, whispering a second time, “football head.” The timing was perfect. Without looking, Barry took another swing. Ryder considered just moving and letting Barry lose his balance and land on the floor, but taking the punch was going to be even better. The swing connected, and Ryder again went flying off his stool. “Mr. Hales! Save football for the football field. You have detention! Now out of my classroom and to the office!” Mr. LeBlanc may have been deaf, but he wasn’t blind. The motion had distracted him from his lecture in time to see what appeared to be an unsolicited blow fall on an innocent looking student. Ryder didn’t feel that innocent but was happy to substitute feeling good. Immediately after class Ryder had a study hall. He decided that wood working would have to wait for another year, and he went to the office to change his schedule. Standing in line, three people ahead of him, was Cynthia Flores. “Hey Cynthia.”

The 1970s started with mostly slocky B movies or even worse remakes of remakes that were more horror than science fiction. The 1970s did begin to come forward with some classics and near misses though. 1970 brought us “Colossus: The Forbin Project”. This is a largely forgotten film, but its theme shows up more and more with computer advances and the development of AI. The concept of the film is a supercomputer built over a large area, reminding me of the basement computer at the NSA in the 70s. The Russians meanwhile have built their own version of a massive supercomputer. The two merge and basically take over the world, forcing peace. “No Blade of Grass” also came out in 1970. This was a British film that focuses on environmental changes where agricultural production is ruined by nature itself. Certainly not the first dystopian movie where civilization breaks down as it focuses on a family’s attempts at survival as they try to flee to an oasis of hope. 1971 brought us “A Clockwork Orange” by Stanley Kubrick and making Malcolm McDowell a star. Frankly I did not like this movie and would ignore it on a Favorite science fiction movie but it has become a cult favorite. “The Omega Man” was also put out in 1970. It is the second film based on the 1954 book “I am Legend”. This one starred Charlton Heston and frankly of the three versions of the book I’m aware of, still stands as my favorite, but I haven’t seen it since the 1970s so I’m not sure how well it holds up. My favorite movie from 1972 was “Silent Running”. Remember, we’re talking 1972, but the film focuses on the premise that all forests on Earth are extinct because of ‘careless environmental exploitation’. The remaining forests are on bio-domes in space aboard massive space freighters. The crew are ordered to destroy each of the domes and return the ships to commercial use. The protagonist (Bruce Dern in his best role) refuses to do so and does anything he deems necessary to save the last forest. Interesting film I’d encourage you to look up if you haven’t seen it. Still full of B movies and cheap remakes, 1973 brought us four movies of note. First, “The Day of the Dolphin”. Starring George C. Scott and dolphins it identifies the intelligence of dolphins, although little more that well trained dogs, that can carry weapons of destruction toward waterborne targets. Very well made film. Second, perhaps Woody Allen’s best film, “Sleeper” where Woody Allen’s character is cryogenically frozen and defrosted 200 years later into a dystopian future. Third, the original “Westworld” movie. My wife and I saw this one together and she couldn’t sleep for nights afterward. Yul Brynner should have won a best actor award for this one. And finally, “Soylent Green was also made in 1973. Another early dystopian film, with a few surprises in a stable society. Charleton Heston was the main protagonist, but the film is stolen by Edward G. Robinson, famous for his 1930s gangster movies. So what did I miss? What was your favorite movie from these four years of film?

I’ve been quiet this week. My wife and I have been traveling (near Yellowstone… it was very cold) and not feeling well. In good news, two books in the Orion’s spur series cracked the top 50 in audio books in the category of Action & Adventure Sci-Fi for Teens. Demeter made it up to #23, and Paragon’s Virtue (book 5 of the series) hit #48 in the category.

I’ve identified five major players in the new space race: The U.S., China, EU, India, and Russia. They all have several parallel programs in planning or underway. Space Stations The International Space Station (ISS) is expected to continue operating through 2030. NASA plans to partner with the private sector to replace it currently looking at contracts including Axiom Space, Voyager Space, or Blue Origin. In effect NASA is working its way out of the space station business, while still acknowledging a space station as imperative to future missions. China was locked out of the ISS because of the Chinese military involvement in the project. As a result, China has launched its own space station which is about 1/3 the size of ISS. Like NASA, the European Space agency has signed on to the new commercial Starlab space station that is launching in 2028. It will be a tighter fit for astronauts as it is actually smaller than ISS. Russia is building their own space station (ROSS0 that they hope to have in orbit by 2028. Forecasts related to this and other exploration plans are obviously being impacted by the war with Ukraine. India is also in the planning stages for their own space station they expect to have in orbit by 2035. The Moon NASA by 2040 expects to establish a permanent settlement (the Lunar Homestead project). They plan to send 3D printers to the moon to build the structures “using lunar concreted made from moon rock fragments”. China intends to have a manned mission to the Moon by 2030, and a permanent research station on the Moon by 2035. The ESA likewise has a goal of landing a European astronaut on the moon before 2030. They have plans to have the equivalent of a gas station built on the moon for other research projects. Although they have extensive design plans for a permanent moon base I could not find a timeline for its execution. Russia has plans to have a permanent base on the Moon by 2040. I’m not very confident in this stated plan based on current circumstances. India plans to land an astronaut on the moon by 2035. Mars NASA seems pretty satisfied with their unmanned research for Mars and beyond. However, they have several plans tied to a launch of a manned mission in the late 2030s. If it happens at all it is much more likely to occur in the 2040s. ESA does have plans to launch a manned mission to Mars by 2040. Likewise Russia has plans to launch a manned mission to Mars between 2035 and 2040. Summary “United we stand, divided we fall” Although getting the U.S., China, E.U., India and Russia to cooperate on the future of space exploration is far fetched, it might not be far fetched to unite the efforts of the U.S., the E.U., India, and some of the other players such as Japan, France, and Australia to join together and pool resources and objectives for the Moon and Mars expeditions in particular. Such cooperation could accelerate timelines by years and cut costs by tens of billions of dollars. If we go all the way from hope to wish, imagine what we could accomplish if we could include China and Russia in such a united front. Instead of helping, in this case I think politics are hurting exploration and development.

In Demeter, our protagonist, Ryder, is a nerd, but not all his friends are so inclined. Two of his friends from Earth are brothers Randy and Joel, who love sports and have found delight in the K-units (think Starship Troopers or a less elegant Ironman. Ryder is invited to an activity on the surface of Demeter, by two Cryellians, Randy and Joel. They are jumping in K-16 units off the surface of the asteroid. Today was neither work nor war. Jumping was a popular activity for the Cryellians. They had discovered that they could in effect launch themselves off Demeter’s low gravitational pull with just the system controls of the more advanced robotic suits. When Ryder and Aster emerged to the surface, Randy and Joel were both descending from a jump. They appeared to Ryder as dots. He turned on the magnification in the helmet’s display so that he could make them out. Unfortunately, Ryder over-magnified and kept twisting his head to find them. He would see their helmets momentarily, then a foot. He spent several minutes trying to get the magnification back to normal. By the time he figured it out, they were on the ground. Steerman launched shortly thereafter and quickly flew out of sight. “How high can we go with this thing?” Ryder was feeling more and more wary, remembering the sensation he had going over the falls on the Ashiijin River. “About two miles. The gravity will bring us back down, and the system will automatically break the fall. It’s kind of like parachuting on Earth without the plane, and in a box instead of a parachute,” Joel explained. Ryder was not comforted. However, when his turn came, the liftoff was exhilarating, and the descent was quite pleasant. He had gone through the cycle three times before Steerman voiced another of his familiar challenges. “Want to try something exciting?” “I don’t know. What is it?” Ryder asked suspiciously. “Catapults,” Steerman said in a cavalier tone. Randy and Joel immediately perked up. “You have catapults?” they asked in unison. “We’re in!” Ryder decided to pass on the activity, as did Aster. Buried into the ground about sixty feet deep were some spring-loaded catapults. Aster explained that they were contraband, and not sanctioned by the DDF. They had been constructed by bored technicians over the past couple of decades. The idea was to brace yourself into the highly compressed catapult, fire via computer, and shoot yourself into space. It provided enough energy to launch a suit into orbit without a rocket. “You’ve got to be kidding,” Ryder commented incredulously. Three suits launched simultaneously. They exited the pits like bullets. “Does it crush their heads with g-force?” Ryder asked Aster with morbid curiosity. “There are some that claim it causes brain damage,” Aster replied, “but I think that the damage is pre-existing.” Ryder and Aster both chuckled. They listened to the chatter as the three bullets continued outward. “What’s the record?” Joel’s asked with strained voice. “It’s 23.4 miles,” Steerman said. “I think I can go further than that,” Joel said with a puff. “It’s not getting that far out that’s the problem. It’s getting back,” Steerman oozed with criticism. In the end, they topped out at twenty miles and actually listened when Steerman told them to head back. As the K16 units descended, Aster emitted a soft, “Uh-oh.” “What? Are they going to crash?” Ryder asked apprehensively. “Nope, Gatekeeper just informed me that stations 58 and 60 have both spotted three unidentified objects entering the no-fly zone. Gatekeeper talked them out of firing. But there will be a report. We better get going as soon as they get down.” Shifting to a more formal tone, Aster then switched to broadcast mode, looking skyward. “Steerman, you hear that? I’m taking Ryder in now. Gather the chicks and follow as soon as you get down.”

I have previously discussed the presence of water throughout our solar system. If I were to choose one place to study related to water it would be a moon of Saturn, Enceladus. However, Saturn is three times as far away as Jupiter, so it is not surprising that NASA is more interested in the moons of Jupiter. Last week, NASA launched the Europa Clipper, a mission to explore one of the moons of Jupiter, Europa. The research question is whether its underground ocean is habitable, and if it contains any forms of life as we know it. Two problems to consider with regard to Europa are (1) the radiation belt around Jupiter. In some parts of the belt, the radiation is the equivalent of 100 million X-rays a day. It is a little less bad on Europa. Still, it is high enough that a human exposed to the radiation would become severely ill or die with a single day on the moon. (2) is the water potable? Water as we think of it is H2O, but even on Earth there are a lot of other elements in the water we drink. The water, assuming it is water below the surface, may be too toxic to drink even after purification. However, that does not mean some form of life could not develop in the mix if it is H20. The liquid form of water on Europa is believed to be between 10 and 15 miles below the surface, so drilling may be problematic. However, much of the barrier to liquid water is ice, so the Europa Clipper should be able to get some valuable data even on the surface. I found the following two articles about the Europa Clipper mission particularly interesting: https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/about/ https://europa.nasa.gov/mission/science/ What do you think? Will they find some form of life on or in Europa?

I have previously looked at science fiction movies that I saw well after they had been produced, but I’m getting into my adolescent years when I actually got a chance to see them first run. The last half of the 1960s was really hit and miss, and mostly miss. Nonsensical comedies and a plethora of horror movies filled the science fiction movie dance card in the 1960s. Just a partial list of films I saw and did not see where I hope the celluloid was no preserved: • The Navy vs the Night Monsters • King Kong Escapes • They came from Beyond Space • The Eye Creatures • Terrornauts • Voyage to the Planet of Prehistoric Women • Astro Zombies • Space Thing • They saved Hitler’s Brain • Destroy all Monsters • The Valley of Gwangi • The Blood Beast Terror Yes, there are many more terrible choices. However, there were also some classics during this period. 1965 brought us the pilot for Star Trek, “Star Trek: The Cage” with Jeffrey Hunter as Captain Pike. The studio wanted more action, so they recast Captain Pike with William Shatner as Captain Kirk. In 1966 the book “Fantastic Voyage” was turned into a great film with excellent special effect for the time, and Raquel Welch to add to the draw. We also got a much darker film, “Fahrenheit 451” I did not enjoy the film as a teenager, but it was still better than most dystopian movies of the last 20 years… much more thoughtful. 1966 also brought some repackaging of old movie serials and television shows including Flash Gordon and Dr. Who. After a terrible 1967, 1968 rebounded with several classics. I read “The Sentinel” a short story by Arthur C. Clark and thought it was a great short story. I was excited about “2001: A Space Odyssey” based in part on that short story. Watching it, for all its special effects, was a waste for my 16-year-old brain. I was mostly bored. I do appreciate the movie as it showed how grand a scale a good science fiction movie could be. I would only rewatch it if I wanted to fall asleep. It reminds me of the more recent Disney film, “Oceans” narrated by Pierce Brosnan. Oceans has some amazing film pieces of 1-2 minutes each, but the sound of the ocean and Brosnan’s narration created an environment where I fell asleep in the theater; a first for me. I believe rewatching 2001 today would have the same outcome. Three much more entertaining films came out in 1968: “Planet of the Apes”, “Barbarella”, and “Charly”. “Planet of the Apes” was an excellent film. My only problem with this film was the numerous sequels and remake. It did not work well as a tent pole for a movie series and television series for me. After the first film it became more of actors in monkey suits for me. “Barbarella”? I was a teenager, I loved it. Would I pick it as a favorite today? I liked “The Fifth Element”. Both films are based on French comic strips. No, not even as a guilty pleasure. Charly doesn’t feel like a science fiction movie and I was surprised at first to see it on a list of syfy movies. But the premise is advances in science so I can go with it. It is based on the story, then book, “Flowers for Algernon”. The movie starred Cliff Robertson. It is a heart wrenching story of a mentally disabled man who is injected with a drug that allows his mind to develop greater and greater mental skills. Ultimately, Charly realizes before the scientists do that the drug has short term rather than permanent effects. So, what of all the science fiction movies of the late 1960s did I like best? I would rather go with the film that I found both entertaining and able to impact me personally, that would be “Charly”. For pure entertainment, I would go with “Fantastic Voyage”.

In 1958 Robert Heinlein published “Have Space Suit – Will Travel”. In the novel Kip, a young teenager wins a used space suit. He spends the first part of the book refurbishing the space suit so it could be used in space, but decides to sell it. Before that happens he is kidnapped and his adventure begins. It was a great story for a pre-teen or teenage boy for fun escape reading in the early 60s. But the space suit was certainly clunky. In Orion’s Spur, Demeter I write about the Surface Terrain Units or STUs. Yes, it does have double entendre as the suits are uncomfortable and the humidity inside the unit has the users refer to it as something to stew in. One character has a problem as she perpetually puts the suit on backward. A whole new world has opened for space suits now though as space suits have entered the world of high fashion. Axiom Space and Prada have partnered to develop a much more comfortable space suit to be worn for intrepid adventures on their way to the Moon. The proto-type has been revealed, and appears to be the next generation space suit that NASA will be using for its 2026 Moon landing. The story in its entirety is available at https://www.yahoo.com/news/tech/artemis-moon-suit-designed-axiom-130029637.html Stealing a phrase from the old ad agencies, “We’ve come a long way baby.”