The Science in Science Fiction or Beam me up Scotty

Mercury’s exosphere is a tenuous atmosphere of atoms and ions derived from the planet’s surface and from the solar wind.

Taken from an article I was reading about the Messenger Probe. A space craft destined to orbit and study the first of our inner planets, Mercury. Reminds me of a book I read long ago by Arthur C Clarke titled "The Wind From the Sun." A collection of short stories, the title story is about space craft with giant sails to collect power of movement, much like a wind sail; from the light of the sun. I find it odd, the first time I read the book was in Middle School as a leisure read and later in high school was a subject read in a class called "the science in science fiction." I have been a space buff for most of my life and the only mention of "solar wind" was in this science fiction short story. Only recently have I been reading of this phenomenon in scientific accounts. In class it was discussed as a theory, I admit I read more about space now, with the internet at my disposal. I do find it interesting how science fiction does seem to become fact. Jules Verne's writings of nuclear submarines, and the cell phone of old does resemble the "communicator" from the old Star Trek series. Just a thought. How long before we can transfer matter into energy and back into matter?

Global Change

So the snow keeps coming. I have lived here many years, and don't remember this much snow in the month of February. Maybe that's because it has been so long that I have lived here and some of the memories have faded in time. I was in Middle School when I got to this place from Georgia. Ah, Georgia, where it doesn't snow, kids are off school for a heavy frost and then there were the ice-storms. Bing had it all wrong when he wrote the song "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas". You can have em, and keep em for your self. I personally like Christmas when it was 45* f, there was no snow, ice and the "heavy" coat could have been a jean jacket. If you get the feeling I don't like snow; you would be right, but factor "don't like" by 10 or so.

Global Warming? oh yea they changed the name of that, now its "climate change" because we all know its getting warmer, the polar regions are melting and this with the increase in temperatures will create mass hysteria, and create more snow.

Universal Right?

Gonna talk about space for bit. I know your telling me to back off the space talk Neo, You are more familiar in the Pirate stuff, buying and trading swords, and daggers and all that stuff. But really I am a one to have taken a real interest in the subject of science, space, space exploration and on that groove. Well...


Was reading a novel, science fiction, was for a class I took in school. The world in this novel, I really don't recall the title or the authors name. So on we go... the world in this novel was large, I mean real big. Jupiter ish in dimensions. This world, had a dramatically rapid rotation, so fast it had stretched the equatorial latitudes. Creating an oval shaped planet. There were 2 Breeds of intelegent life on this planet. The ones to the north and south of the equater  were of centipede physique. A large planet by theory would have a great amount of gravity. I suppose the author of the book was thinking along the lines of "the taller they are etc." So the indigenous life forms would be close to the ground. As you travel toward the equatorial regions of the planet you will start to see a more humanoid population as the planet rotates quickly and makes the gravity compensated with centrifugal force.


The class I was taking at the time was "The science in Science Fiction". We would read a book, and discuss the validity of science.  It was a very interesting class. I think of this class when I do catch a sci fi on the tube or in my reading. For example:
Star Wars- the scene where R2D2 is able to access the ships computer, the enemy vessle, and stop the garbage compactor on C deck or what ever. Now really... What are the chances of R2 having the proper connecting plug to the computer of the brand new, built to specs, super colossal planet destroying ship? Universal? excuse me.... I have a wireless phone that has a charger that won't work with my girlfriends phone; and they are the same company, and the same planet, much less from a different galaxy.