space
Space: The Final Frontier. Exploring space developments and theorizing about how humans fit into the universe.
Isaac Asimov's Foundation: A Holistic Analysis of Micro and Macro Plots in the Asimov Universe - The Prequels
Be warned, all ye late visitors entreating entrance at Asimov's chamber door: This series of analyses is meant to explain how the great Isaac Asimov wove a gargantuan number of micro plots into one continuous story that encompasses many thousands of years: the existential conflict and the struggle for survival of the humankind in the future. Heavy spoilers as well as philosophical commentaries on fictional sociopolitical structures and scientific progress abound...
By Deniz Galip Oygür9 years ago in Futurism
Mars May Have Once Had Rings, and Could Have Them Again in the Future
Saturn is, of course, famous for its exquisite ring system, but other planets have rings as well - Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune all have them, they just aren't nearly as prominent. Now it turns out that Mars may also have once had rings, and could have them again in the future.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
Alex The Inventor-Chapter 9 (Pt.2)
Chapters 1 - 8 can be read at: Deep Sky Stories Chapter 9 (Part 2) - The Other Boy Looking through the thick green glass of the curved tube was an amazing experience all on its own because Alex could see all the layers of soil and rock passing by above and all around him. He and his companions were sliding slowly enough to allow them to catch glimpses here and there of life below the earth.There were, of course, the usual wriggling earthworms making their way slowly across the clear glass in search of food. Then - a surprise - a small, cozy den with a family of rabbits slumbered peacefully together against the glass wall. Alex felt soft gusts of warm air coming up the tube from somewhere below. This warm air must have attracted many little underground creatures who took advantage of it by cozying up against the outside of the glass.Next to pass by above his head was a swiftly burrowing mole, lying with its belly flat against the glass while digging with vigorous swimming motions through its element. The mole vanished suddenly into the dark, cool soil as its thin, sensitive nose led it away somewhere toward some morsel of food.
By G.F. Brynn9 years ago in Futurism
The No-Kidding Coolest Planets in Science Fiction
Warning: This list of coolest science fiction planets will probably offend someone. Odds are 99-to-1 I left off someone’s favorite fiction world, so sorry ‘bout that but please keep the hate to a minimum. I’m still on my meds from the Reddit Rage about my Greatest Protagonists post.
By Matt Cates9 years ago in Futurism
Bright 'Tower' in Mars Orbiter Image: Anomaly or Natural Formation?
With thousands of images taken by various probes sent to Mars, it would seem inevitable that unusual or puzzling objects might be seen in some of them. And of course, there have been, most notably the famous "Face on Mars" first seen in low-resolution Viking orbiter images in the 1970s. Higher-resolution images taken later by other orbiters with better cameras showed it, and nearby interesting formations, to be just natural hills and mesas. Despite that, other curious things are seen in both orbital and ground images from time to time, although they almost always have a simple prosaic explanation. Another such oddity was just recently seen in an image taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which has attracted some attention. Most likely it is a natural rock formation, but it's also not, as described by the tabloid Daily Mail, a "spherule" either.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
Earth to Bill
It was 2013. I was now three and a half hours into a six-hour bus ride back to New York City from my hometown of Syracuse, NY. After an exciting, yet stressful visit with family, I wanted nothing more than to be back in my comfy little walk-in closet of an apartment. Instead, I sat motionless on a never-ending voyage on the river of pavement. I scanned the skies from my window as the evening sun had just about set. A passing sign indicated that we had just crossed into the Hudson Valley area. Snippets of such books as Dr. J Allen Hynek’s "Night Siege" and Ellen Crystall’s "Silent Invasion" began to trickle through my mind. I entertained the thought that perhaps a UFO sighting could cure my current state of boredom. I covered every angle of the sky I could, but the sun disappeared quickly and I was now left with an endless abyss of black. Any hope of seeing a structured craft soon faded with my patience for the incessant amount of elbowing from the woman sitting next to me. She noticed me peering intently through the smudged window and asked what I was doing. Three answers flashed through my mind:
By Ryan Sprague9 years ago in Futurism
Titan's Lakes and Seas May Be Fizzy With Patches of Nitrogen Bubbles
Saturn's moon Titan is the only other body in the Solar System besides Earth known to have liquids on its surface. In Titan's case, they are rivers, lakes and seas of liquid hydrocarbons (methane/ethane) instead of water. There is even methane/ethane rain, which further mimics Earth's hydrological cycle. For the most part, the lakes and seas are fairly smooth, with only small amounts of wave activity. But now, new research suggests that those lakes and seas might be quite fizzy at times - with periodic bursts of nitrogen bubbles.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
Exoplanetary 001 - The Complete Alice Wolverton
Download MP3Subscribe on iTunes Episode 001 – The Complete Alice Wolverton by C. Christopher Hart Alice Wolverton is looking for a job. Exoplanetary, one of the largest corporations in the solar system, has a job that might take her far. Alice contends with the moral, philosophical, and existential problems of becoming an interstellar traveler in the 26th century.
By C. Christopher Hart9 years ago in Futurism
That Ain't No Little Green Man
Decades of entertainment and pop culture have invaded our eyes and ears with tales of little green men coming from destinations unknown and plaguing our skies and our homes. These little green critters often changed throughout the decades as stories spread and culture shifted. So when we hear the stories of close encounters with what we often consider aliens, it's no wonder that some of these more radical reports get brushed to the side. They just seem to be too damn strange. They don't fit the prototypical alien mythology we've been conditioned to believe (or not believe) is true. They bend the rules and they challenge the norm. So what are these outsiders amongst outsiders? Let's take a look at a few cases of possible monsters from above... or possibly below.
By Ryan Sprague9 years ago in Futurism
NASA's New Europa Mission Formally Named 'Europa Clipper'
It's been a long time coming, but NASA's new mission to Jupiter's moon Europa now has a formal name: Europa Clipper. The spacecraft, to be launched in the early 2020s, will conduct multiple close flybys of the moon, with the goal of determining just how habitable it actually is. With a global salty ocean just beneath its icy crust, Europa is thought to be one of the best places in the Solar System to search for possible alien life.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
Enceladus' Ice-Covered Ocean Closer to Surface Than Previously Thought
When it comes to places in the Solar System to search for possible alien life, Saturn's moon Enceladus is now right near the top of the list. Like Jupiter's moon Europa, it has a subsurface ocean of water, and even plumes/geysers of water vapor which erupt from fissures in the icy surface near the south pole. Those plumes contain organics as discovered by the Cassini probe and there is evidence for hydrothermal activity on the ocean floor, just like on Earth. The fissures are warmed by heat from below, and now there is evidence that some of them are even warmer than expected, meaning that water could be closer to the surface than previously thought.
By Paul Scott Anderson9 years ago in Futurism
