Uncategorized Archives ~ From The Stratosphere

It’s 2019, Apollo 11’s 50th Anniversary

By hsrivney | January 27, 2019

Stop the world, I want to get off.

Earth from space — Northern hemisphere of Earth as seen from NASA’s deep space climate satellite

Well, just slow it down a little so I can take a breath!

So many things happening as 2019 starts. 2019 – does that slap you around a little? We were all supposed to be driving flying cars, instead of cars driving us. We do have quite a few technologies, and a few we never imagined before. It’s also the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic mission.

Remember just 10 years ago the smart phone came upon the scene – and nothing was ever the same in the industrialized world. I don’t think they’ve helped developing nations as much, but in my wildest imagination I never imagine that PHONEs would become portable computers. They can pinpoint your location on the planet as well as take excellent photos and videos, AND access the entire world’s information online. I mean, there’s an app for EVERYTHING.

Oddly, the one thing I wish a smart phone could do that it doesn’t is take your temperature. Why can’t we just stick it against our forehead and let it tell us if we have a fever worth going to the doctor or not?

the first iPhone from Apple — The first smart phone

If I’d had these technologies as a teen or young adult available! Broken down car – no worry, call someone from the side of the road. Call Lyft to come get you the next day. Look up the problem on the internet, buy the parts online, they’re delivered asap, take Lyft to work again, and the fix your beater over the weekend watching how-to YouTube video. And then there’s e-books.

Millennials, you grew up with this technology,

at least with cell phones, if not smart phones, and the internet. You take it for granted that everything will stream to you – music, food, friendship, entertainment, even money if you can build a web page with enough click bait on it. Work as you want – deliver for Amazon, GrubHub, FedEx, or become a Lyft or Uber driver, and all the work is just waiting for you to tap an icon, no set hours, no dry cleaning to deal with, and the money goes straight into a bank account – no standing in line at a bank from 10:00 to 3:00 to deposit a check and wait 3 days for it to clear before you get your money.

I’m fascinated.

Our most wonderful invention in 1980 was the ATM – money without the bank teller. Oh, yeah, and the video rental store, of course, in BETA, not VHS (what’s Beta you ask? Ask Siri). The hardest thing we had to deal with was programming the damn thing because in the 80s, television had you tuning in at their convenience, not the other way around. I like new technology, but I’m not the person who needs the newest of the new the moment it’s released – new phone, computer, television, stereo system, vacuum, car. Technology puttered for decades, even after the horseless carriage arrived. Things move so fast now writing science fiction is a challenge. I’m from the Boomer generation, and Gen Xers are between us and the Millennials.

I’m not certain, and no one else is either, when the cut off from one to the next is, but the Boomers ended in 1964, the year after John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The world changed that day, not just America. No one saw themselves the same way anymore. The birth rate plummeted, and with good reason. The later half of the 60s was filled with Vietnam, riots, Nixon, more assassinations, and some of the most horrible fashions ever to walk a runway. At the same time, technology carried on, taking people to the MOON. This year marks the 50th anniversary of that giant leap.

Humanity has more heroes than Hitlers.

Give praise for the chutzpah of soldiers who stormed Normandy; of Martin Luther King, Jr., who inspired millions; of Truman, who bore the responsibility for Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

As we approach this milestone, remember their names.

They were the ambassadors of human technology, arguably the most courageous men of the 20th century. It takes a special kind of insanity to sit atop a Saturn V rocket, spend 3 days floating in a closet and using the strangest toilet ever invented. Then they must go into orbit, take a little module of a ship to this world, land, get out and take a walk, and get back in and hope the little module of a ship can get off the world, go back up and meet with the rocket engine orbiting the planet. And then COME BACK. Three more days in the closet, and this time they have to get back to Earth. This planet has an atmosphere (that could burn up the ship and passengers). They don’t land, but splash down using parachutes, and wait for the ship to come get you.

The boot print of a human left on the moon — Footprint from the Moon

Are you f*$#&* kidding me? The space program was the very definition of LUNACY. Armstrong, Aldrin, and Collins have every right to claim bravery above and beyond – why do we celebrate Columbus Day when we should celebrate Moon Day July 19th? It should be a worldwide holiday, like New Year’s Day; at the very least, an American holiday. Only a dozen humans have ever walked on our moon. That’s it. I lament that it may be another 50 years before humans can claim the honor of going to another world. Robots on both Mars and the Moon report that science and commerce could explode wide open, with new opportunities, to answer questions that have dogged humans from the beginning, and encourage the next 100 years of humans to grow beyond the narcissistic view that we are the apex of evolution.

But this is the year of Apollo 11’s anniversary, the 50 year milestone. Who knows what celebrations might spark the next step into the future.

After all, if we can go to the moon, we can do anything. I’m still waiting for that app that will take my temperature, though.

A Prequel?

By hsrivney | November 9, 2018

It worked for Star Wars so why not for me? Yes, several requests for stories between the Pioneer Missions and the Jackson Saga have produced a spark. By popular demand, I have fanned into a fire. Announcing Serpents of My Imagination, available only here on The Stratosphere, free!

The Pioneer Missions are vignettes of various missions. More of those will be out in 2019. Serpents of My Imagination is a prequel novella. This is a character study which gives insight into several main characters, including Captain Jackson, Doctor Clarke, Diti Balasubramanian, and Scott Gregory. As they sail toward Beta Hydri, the ship must pass through The Malevolent, a helium and argon ‘Bermuda Triangle’. Because the ship is attacked, fears escalate, and under these unrelenting pressures, accusations fly and personalities devolve.

This special novella is only available to subscribers of the monthly newsletter, a brief goings-on report about the series, cool science stuff in the news, and an occasional giveaway or other notification you might want to be aware of. Of course, you’ll need to tell me where to send all these gems. Just enter your name and email address on the form and you’re all set to go boldly on a space adventure at your leisure.

More Science, Less Fiction, Man-Made Molecules

By hsrivney | July 10, 2018

Science and molecules go “hand in hand”.

Science is my passion. And by hand in hand I’m talking about the right and left. My first full length novel, Paradox: The Alien Genome, was first an ember from Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson, a morsel from one of his The Incredible Universe science episodes. He discussed in some detail the nature of chiral molecules, their ‘handedness’, and how on Earth amino acids natural link up and tweak one direction, while the molecules that link up as sugars link in the opposite direction. He said he’d like to read a book about astronauts on a planet where the spirals were reversed.

science - caraway or spearmint? — Same molecule, different flavors?

So I wrote it. (By the way, Dr. Tyson, I’d love to send you an autographed copy!) And it was a journey of discovery as I researched DNA and chiral bonds. Thalidomide is a chiral molecule. Unbeknownst to its creators, if they could force the molecule in the other direction, it would not have caused birth defects in fetuses back in the late 50s. I found long and detailed information about this and I nearly took a vacation from my novel to investigate the science further.

Synthesized Proteins

Most molecules are chiral. We can make these things in the laboratory and change them, creating totally new things but with the same atomic structure. A couple months back, I received a link to an article about two MIT chemists, Zachary P. Gates and Brad Pentelute, who could synthesize millions of novel, non-natural proteins to be used as drugs against Ebola and other viruses. They call it Xenoprotein etching. Critically, these man-made structures don’t have to be kept refrigerated. This enhances not only their shelf life, but also their potential use. They can be delivered “in the field” where disease lurks. People wouldn’t have to travel to clinics or doctors. In developing populations, transportation is not always available. When time is of the essence, days could mean lives.

MIT Chemists Synthesize Proteins.

Why Science Matters

I had to reflect on their ingenuity and how their work ‘mirrors’ (sorry, I couldn’t resist) to some degree my imaginary DNA splicing Malaria vaccine that replicated itself into the haploid cells of the children of vaccinated humans. Through some complex biochemical, yet founded in reality, sci-fi technobabble, this leads to sterility. Humans were unable to create a molecule that was reversed (and which divided, not like sugar which is static). They embarked on a hunting trip in space that lasted two years. They hoped to finding living creatures with this reversed chirality in their DNA. If you’ve read the novel, you know the rest. If not, I won’t give spoilers.

Nevertheless, this article proves once again that no matter how far-fetched of a thing a science fiction writer can dream up, it might very well be possible. We may not be able to transverse space faster than light, but perhaps in the future. I’m sure the Greeks and Romans 3000 years ago never thought of flying commercially, or to another planet. Technology hadn’t come far enough. It’s barely been 100 years since we abandoned the horse and buggy for fossil fueled vehicles. And don’t forget the saying of the Boomer Generation: If we can go to the moon, we can (fill in the blank with any impossible task, like, cure cancer, go solar, stop war).

That’s what makes writing science fiction so much fun. I like to think we are more enlightened and educated enough to leap beyond our current civilization, to question all that we are, and what we could be. I refer to the forward thinking sci-fi, not the, apocalyptic, dystopian, doom and gloom, an earth ruined by war sci fi. And a wise person once said – “Be careful what you ask for. You might get it.” I certainly hope so!

Based on Reality

If you’re a Star Trek fan,enjoy the tales of Michael Crichton (Jurrasic Park, ER, Congo), the works of Isaac Asimov, you may discover just what you’re looking for here. Do you like hard sci fi, medical missions, runaway bacteria, asteroids, and aliens? You will enjoy my two series, The Pioneer Missions, and the as yet untitled full length novels about an intrepid star ship captain who finds his soul mate in an alien . Find all my work here.

Malware Notice – RESOLVED

By hsrivney | June 30, 2018

If you have gone in this far, be advised that I am working on a malware issue. If you’re redirected, ignore wherever you end up and close your browser. Don’t enter any information here or there, such as credit card numbers and don’t be scared by warnings. I’m currently working on the problem.

HACKERS: DIE!

Interview with a Starship Captain

By hsrivney | September 15, 2017

I had an opportunity to interview Captain Thomas Jackson, captain of the Science Ship Maria Mitchell, currently assigned to retrieve an extended stay science team from Beta Hydri Four. He’s just come off a successful mission in the Eta Cassiopeia system where he and his crew of the Maria Mitchell stopped a centuries-old plague being fueled by a Pegasi privateer. Welcome, Captain Jackson.

Thank you. It’s nice to be here.

The pleasure is mine. I’ve had people asking me about you, your past, what makes you tick. I hope you don’t mind if some of these questions get a bit personal.

starship captain — Captain Thomas K. Jackson

I’ll let you know if you cross a line.

Great. So, Captain Jackson, you’ve been in the North American Space Administration for twenty some years now. What drove you to the stars so to speak?

I’ve always had a fascination with space, as long as I can remember. It seemed natural to go in that direction.

What did you study in college?

I’m an alum of Caltech, California Institute of Technology. My focus was aeronautics. I met a friend, Dr. Scott Gregory, there, and he has been my ship’s astrophysicist for several years.

You’re from South California. Did you have a typical childhood?

We didn’t always live there, but after my younger sister was born we stayed put. I love the ocean. I spent every summer on the beach, camped on the beach, and I was a very strong swimmer. That’s how I ended up at Caltech. It’s still a private university, and I was awarded an athletic scholarship, on their swim team.

Is that why you joined the navy? You love the ocean?

I love flying. It was a means to an end, at least in the beginning.

So, Captain, what moved you to change from planes to rockets?

Just out of school, I was an intern, briefly, at the Jet Propulsion Lab, and went to Luna Colony on an assignment. Once you see the Earth from space, you are changed, forever. It’s indescribable. You can never go back to the ordinary again.

But you did.

I can’t say flying ion powered fighters off a carrier deck is ordinary, but I was in the navy until an accident ended my service.

Care to elaborate?

I had a mishap landing my vehicle on the deck and was injured.

Sounds like this is something in your past you would rather forget about.

You could say that, yes.

So, I’ll move on. You went from the navy to the space administration?

I joined the space program as a lieutenant but was bumped up to commander pretty quickly, then to captain. I left the navy as a captain so I was glad to have my rank again. Love a challenge, ordering people around (laughs). Not much more challenging than exploring deep space.

You were pretty young to be given a ship.

I took my first command in 2149. I was 37. That’s not so young. Just ask a teenager. Do you have a coffee service here?

The captain and I took a break and walked to the cafeteria for coffee.

So, back to the formal questions. Tell us, please, was there ever a major turning point in your life?

When I left the navy for the space program. And when I met my wife. And when I met my daughter.

Is there anything your parents did that you think significantly affected who you are today?

Absolutely. I suppose you want me to tell you what it is. My father is a dry alcoholic, but he was pretty wet when I was young. That will change the way you see things around you. Now my mother, she’s a gem. She insisted that I be friendly to everyone, to look for similarities, not differences. I think that serves me well, most of the time. I married a woman from another world, and that’s about as different as you can get.

Your wife, Rianya, is from Beta Hydri Four. She is the love of your life?

She is.

It must be difficult to captain a starship and have a family aboard. Are there other captains in the space administration with families?

I’m unique in that category. I dislike exposing them to the dangers, but we are all happier together. Missions are simply too long to be apart. There are dangers on Earth, as well. You can’t avoid life.

Indeed. What’s next, Captain? Do you still have any goals to reach for?

I’d like to see my daughter join me in space one day, not as a passenger, but as part of my crew.

If anyone can make it happen, it would be you. Thank you again for taking time to talk to us.

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