Look What I Found: A Podcast of My Story, Memorial at Copernicus

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Okay, technically I didn’t “find” it — Google Alerts did its job and told me about it — but never mind that: one of my stories is now on audio!

“Memorial at Copernicus” is an alternate-history story that occurs on the Moon, and was my first story to be considered a “professional” sale. It originally appeared in the third issue of Redstone Science Fiction, in August 2010.

And now it’s also the first of my stories to ever be recorded. New Zealand author Amanda (AJ) Fitzwater recorded the story, and I’m especially pleased with how well she rendered the main character’s Russian accent.

You can find the audio story on Redstone Science Fiction’s audio page or by this direct link: “Memorial at Copernicus” audio.

And, while I’m at this, I think I’ll throw in a look at the cool cover art from that RSF issue:

One last thing: I find it a little odd that no one from the magazine told me this was happening [cough, cough]. But, it’s still pretty cool.

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Last Thor-Delta Launch

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Forty years ago today — January 31, 1972 — the HEOS (Highly Elliptical Orbit Satellite) A-2 launched from the Western Space and Missile Center at Vandenberg AFB.

HEOS A-2 was built by the European Space Research Organization, the precursor to today’s European Space Agency, to study “interplanetary space and the high-latitude magnetosphere.”

HEOS 2 provided new data on the sources and acceleration mechanisms of particles found in the trapped radiation belts and in the polar precipitation regions and auroral zones. It also monitored solar activity and cosmic radiation.

According to this Wikipedia page on 1972 spaceflight, this was also the last launch of the Thor-Delta rocket configuration, which itself was part of the family of Delta rockets that are still launching satellites today.


(An early Thor-Delta, from 1961. USAF image from Wikimedia Commons.)

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A Bleak Day in Space History: The Apollo-1 Tragedy

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Some space history moments we might rather forget … but in some ways they’re more important to remember. Like this one.

Forty-five years ago today — January 27, 1967 — the Apollo-1 capsule caught fire during an on-pad test, killing astronauts Virgil I. “Gus” Grissom, Edward H. White II, and Roger B. Chaffee.


(The Apollo-1 crew. L-R: White, Grissom, Chaffee. NASA image.)

Originally known as AS-204 (Apollo-Saturn-204), the mission was scheduled to be launched on February 21st. The test being run was officially known as the Space Vehicle Plugs-Out Integrated Test, Operational Checkout Procedures (OCP) FO-K-0021-1, and was intended to “demonstrate all space vehicle systems and operational procedures in as near a flight configuration as is practical and to verify their capability in a simulated launch.” The specific objectives were:

  • To verify overall spacecraft/launch vehicle compatibility and demonstrate proper function of spacecraft systems with all umbilicals and Ground Support Equipment disconnected.
  • To verify no electrical interference at the time of umbilical disconnect.
  • To verify astronaut emergency egress procedures (unaided egress) at the conclusion of the test.

That last objective was actually added by the astronauts themselves, “because a subsequent test, Countdown Demonstration, would involve a fully fueled Launch Vehicle and this latter test was identified as hazardous.”

Unfortunately, few if any of the operators and engineers had considered how hazardous the Plugs-Out test conditions would turn out to be.

The Review Board’s Findings, Determinations And Recommendations found that power failed in the capsule momentarily, and several electrical arcs occurred but “no single ignition source of the fire was conclusively identified.”

The most probable initiator was an electrical arc in the sector between -Y and +Z spacecraft axes. The exact location best fitting the total available information is near the floor in the lower forward section of the left-hand equipment bay where Environmental Control System (ECS) instrumentation power wiring leads into the area between the Environmental Control Unit (ECU) and the oxygen panel.

What made the Command Module more dangerous than anticipated were “many types and classes of combustible material in areas contiguous to possible ignition sources,” and the test being conducted “with a 16.7 pounds per square inch absolute, 100-percent oxygen atmosphere.” With respect to the spacecraft itself, the investigators found “deficiencies [in] design, workmanship and quality control,” some of which were:

  • Components of the Environmental Control System installed in Command Module 012 had a history of many removals and of technical difficulties including regulator failures, line failures and Environmental Control Unit failures. The design and installation features of the Environmental Control Unit makes removal or repair difficult.
  • Coolant leakage at solder joints has been a chronic problem.
  • The coolant is both corrosive and combustible.
  • Deficiencies in design, manufacture, installation, rework and quality control existed in the electrical wiring.
  • No vibration test was made of a complete flight-configured spacecraft.
  • Spacecraft design and operating procedures currently require the disconnecting of electrical connections while powered.
  • No design features for fire protection were incorporated.

When the fire started during the Plugs-Out test, it spread rapidly and increased the pressure in the capsule, which sealed the inner hatch so tightly that the crew could not open it. Eventually the Command Module actually ruptured, spreading fire into the surrounding structure, but by that time the crew had died “from asphyxia due to inhalation of toxic gases due to fire.”

The investigation into the accident led to many significant improvements in the vehicle design, as well as better test and flight procedures that made the ensuing Apollo missions much safer. It’s unfortunate that the cost of those lessons was so high, but that seems to be the case with many of the important lessons we learn.

May we never forget.

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Missing the Moon, 50 Years Ago: Ranger-3

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Fifty years ago today — January 26, 1962 — Ranger-3 launched from Cape Canaveral on an Atlas-Agena rocket.


(Ranger-3. NASA image.)

Ranger-3 had several mission goals, only the last of which would be fulfilled:

  • “Transmit pictures of the lunar surface to Earth stations during a period of 10 minutes of flight prior to impacting on the Moon”
  • “Rough-land a seismometer capsule on the Moon”
  • “Collect gamma-ray data in flight”
  • “Study radar reflectivity of the lunar surface”
  • “Continue testing of the Ranger program for development of lunar and interplanetary spacecraft”

The mission profile called for the Atlas-Agena to provide the initial boost toward the Moon, with one mid-course correction on the way. Unfortunately,

A malfunction in the booster guidance system resulted in excessive spacecraft speed. Reversed command signals caused the spacecraft to pitch in the wrong direction and the TM antenna to lose earth acquisition, and mid-course correction was not possible. Finally a spurious signal during the terminal maneuver prevented transmission of useful TV pictures. Ranger 3 missed the Moon by approximately 36,800 km on 28 January and is now in a heliocentric orbit.

Sounds like Mr. Murphy of the eponymous law paid the Ranger program a visit. But, to paraphrase my friend Bill Hixon, a test is worth a thousand expert opinions — and sometimes we learn more from failures than from successes.

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'Buckshot' Launch Attempt

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A half-century ago today — January 24, 1962 — a Thor AbleStar rocket out of Cape Canaveral attempted, but failed, to launch a group of five small satellites for the U.S. Navy.


(SOLRAD-1, the precursor to SOLRAD-4. US Navy image.)

The launch was called Composite-1, or “Buckshot,” and intended to launch:

  • SOLRAD-4 (Solar Radiation or SR-4) — intended to measure and analyze solar emissions, but also incorporating the GREB IV (Galactic Radiation Experimental Background, also known as Galactic Radiation and Background, or GRAB) reconnaissance payload
  • Lofti III — Low-Frequency Trans-Ionospheric satellite, a follow-on to Lofti-I
  • Injun-II — a University of Iowa payload to study the Van Allen radiation belt
  • Secor — Sequential Collation of Range, an experiment in geolocation
  • Surcal — Surveillance Calibration satellite, used to calibrate the Naval Space Surveillance system

According to the 02/01/62 issue of FLIGHT International, the launch failed because “the second stage of the Thor AbleStar failed to build up thrust after ignition.”

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International Microgravity Laboratory, Flight 1

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Twenty years ago today — January 22, 1992 — the Space Shuttle Discovery launched from Kennedy Space Center carrying the International Microgravity Laboratory on its maiden voyage.


(IML-1 spacelab module and tunnel in the shuttle’s payload bay. NASA image.)

The STS-42 crew — U.S. astronauts Ronald J. Grabe, Stephen S. Oswald, Norman E. Thagard, David C. Hilmers, and William F. Readdy, Canadian astronaut Roberta L. Bondar, and German astronaut Ulf D. Merbold — “was divided into two teams for around-the-clock research on the human nervous system’s adaptation to low gravity and the effects of microgravity on other life forms.” The crew also conducted materials processing experiments.

The IML-1 experiments were so successful that the mission was extended an exra day — after “mission managers concluded enough onboard consumables remained to extend the mission.”

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On Being an Old(er), New(er) Writer

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Or, brief thoughts on my 2nd year of Campbell Award eligibility.


How can someone this old be a new writer?

This is what comes from having second or third careers: the experience of once again being “new” at something. It’s actually a pretty familiar feeling for me, having gone from assignment to assignment in the Air Force … especially since so many of my assignments were wildly different from one another. But it’s also odd to be pushing 50 years of age and yet be a newbie.*

But when it comes to this science fiction and fantasy writing game, I feel newer than new.

I’ve made some progress with the writing thing: to date I’ve published five short stories in the genre, with two more on the way this year. I’m pleased with that, and in some respects I’ve reached a level of success I wasn’t sure I would ever achieve. But I know I have a very long way to go, so much so that it seems unreal that my limited success has placed me in my second** year of eligibility for the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer.

If you visit the Campbell Award page via that last link and scroll down, you’ll see all the Campbell-eligible authors listed. I am in some wonderful company, as I know several of the writers who are both first- and second-year eligibles. Everyone eligible has the option of putting together a personal profile with a bio and such, and I have my own Campbell Award profile, too. In a few months we’ll find out who received enough nominations to go on the final ballot. (I may receive a nomination or two, and I’m grateful to the folks who brought my name up this past weekend at illogiCon, but I feel that most of the others on the list have better credentials for being on the ballot than I do.)

The whole thing — the publishing success as well as the award eligibility — seems very strange, as if it’s happening to someone else and I’m just spectating. I wonder how long it will take for that feeling to wear off, if it ever does. Because not only do I know that I’m still very new at this, but I feel as if I’ll be “new” at it for years to come.

And maybe that’s not all bad. In the same vein as “you’re as young as you feel,” maybe I can get away with continuing to feel “new” at this science fiction game for a long, long time.

___
*Holy moley, am I really that old? It used to be that I was younger than I looked. Maybe I still am.
**And final!

Image Credit: Eternal Rose Photography, 2010.

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Outbrief on illogiCon

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This past weekend I had the honor of being one of the guests at the first-ever illogiCon, a local fan-run science fiction & fantasy convention.


(At the panel on Ethics in Science Fiction. L-R: Gray, Kij Johnson, Samuel Montgomery-Blinn, Guest of Honor Joe Haldeman, and John Kessel.)

I had a terrific time at the con, and it seemed that everyone else did, too. At times I was a little over-awed by some of the other writers on my panels — I felt as if anything I had to say would be trivial, and would have preferred to just sit and listen — but had fun and sometimes lively discussions on topics ranging from “Do We Need a New Definition of Literacy?” to “Interstellar Transportation.”

Friday evening I had my first official reading, which was an interesting experience. I was paired with Tony Daniel, the newest full-time editor at Baen Books, who read from his novel Guardian of Night — he described it conceptually as The Hunt for Red October in space, and it features an alien species that communicates in a very unique way.

I started my part of the reading with a song: the debut of “A Ship With No Name,” which I think is a fun little number to the tune of “A Horse With No Name.” I was gratified that folks actually laughed in the right spots, and sang along with the “la-la” parts.

Then I read the opening of my story “Sensitive, Compartmented,” which is scheduled to appear in the April/May issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine — my first publication in Asimov’s. The best feedback I got was when two different people asked me to remind them of when and where the story was going to appear, because they wanted to see how it ends.

The rest of the con was a mix of panels and socializing, which is always a good mix. I met some new folks, and even got to hang out with the Guest of Honor, Joe Haldeman, and his charming wife, Gay. The only disappointment was when I went upstairs late Saturday night to what I thought was going to be “open filk” and found the room empty except for hotel staff who were cleaning up.

But, all in all, a good time was had by me. I hope the illogiCon staff is pleased with how well the con went. Great work, folks!

Next up for me: MystiCon in Roanoke, Virginia. Hope to see you there!

___

Image Credit: Calvin Powers, from http://www.cspowers.com/illogicon-2012-con-report/. Permission requested.

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Flying Atlantis to Orbiting Peace

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Fifteen years ago today — January 12, 1997 — the Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center to dock with the Mir (“peace”) space station.


(Shuttle Atlantis rolling out to the pad from the VAB [December 1996]. NASA image.)

Mission STS-81 astronauts Michael A. Baker, Brent W. Jett, Jr., John M. Grunsfeld, Marsha S. Ivins, Peter J. K. Wisoff, and Jerry M. Linenger docked with the Russian station; Linenger stayed behind, while Atlantis brought home astronaut John Blaha after his 4-month stay.

On a belated space history note, 45 years ago yesterday — January 11, 1967 — the Intelsat II F-2 communications satellite launched from Cape Canaveral on a Delta rocket. It was positioned over the Pacific as the first fully-operational Intelsat II platform.

F-2 was the first Intelsat II satellite over the Pacific because its predecessor, F-1, did not reach its intended orbit. F-1’s “apogee engine thrust terminated approximately 4 seconds after ignition,” stranding the spacecraft in the wrong orbit.

Interestingly, an apogee engine malfunction nearly caused the loss of the USAF’s Advanced Extreme High Frequency (AEHF) satellite after its launch in July 2010. AEHF operators and engineers figured out an innovative orbit-raising sequence that rescued the spacecraft and put it in the proper operating position last October. Well done!

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India's Space Program Matures

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Five years ago today — January 10, 2007 — a PSLV-C7 rocket launched from Sriharikota, India, carrying four spacecraft including India’s first recoverable space capsule.


(CartoSat-2 remote sensing satellite. ISRO image.)

The largest of the four spacecraft was CartoSat-2, a three-axis-stabilized remote sensing platform with one-meter resolution. The SRE-1 technology demonstrator was the recoverable capsule, equipped with a heat shield for re-entry and a floatation system. SRE-1 “re-entered in the Bay of Bengal precisely as planned at 04:14 UT on 22 January at 150 km east of Sriharikota, and was hauled by a helicopter from a coast guard vessel.”

The other two spacecraft were LAPAN-Tubsat, a microsatellite built by Indonesia, and PehuenSat-1, a picosatellite from Argentina.

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