In the science fiction genre, spacefaring is a common trait. We see every kind of spaceships going thru and forth a wide variety of worlds, usually using two kinds of propulsion systems: one for travelling between systems (FTL or dimensional) and another for travelling inside the destination system (sub C velocities).
But what happens when a spaceship approach a Solar system?
Planets of the Solar System (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
In the previous post we focus our attention about the needs for low-gravity and short-distance transports, recovering the “Eagle” concept from the beloved TV serial “Space:1999“. Basically that was a kind of spaceship that we can build even today, using ion engines or chemical engines for propulsion. The limit for such a ship and for everything else we put out in space until now, is that it’s slow. Six months or more to reach Mars, much more to reach the other planets (or bodies) in our Solar system.
I’m a multi-genre author with a passion for science fiction. Sooner or later this kind of interest drives to space, to what a spaceship can do and to what I want to tell to my audience when it comes to describing what’s going on. So we can imagine our wonderful spaceships, use them to travel from planet to planet and make room for epic fights. Well, we can. With a bit of respect for reality.
Do you remember the first movie of the “Alien” franchise? The blurb was “In space, nobody can hear you scream”. That was a very nice movie, one of my all-time favorite. The blurb was set right, with no atmosphere there is no possible sound transmission. No screams, no engine noise, no “whoooosh” from missiles, no “zot!” from energy-based weapons. This little fact kills a lot of movies, isn’t it? There’s more on the line, with no atmosphere of sort there is no need for control surfaces. No flaps, ailerons, rudders at all. And this kills a lot of spaceship design.
A year or so ago I wrote a short science fiction story named “L’Orgoglio di Smirne” [Smirne’s Pride], I was thinking about translating it into english after a massive editing process. While I was at work I thought that it could be a nice way to write about the logical ramification of a story, it’s one of the biggest traps for anybody who write fiction.
My story was about a young spaceman/miner who got himself in trouble rescuing another spaceship in the Asteroid Belt. The AI system in his spaceship became infected and he got to find a way to save his life and going back to his base. So far it’s a classic story; the young man who became more experienced under the stress of a dangerous situation, the superiority of an educated mind over a challenge.
While I was writing the italian version of this tale a number of questions came up. How about this kid? Was he born in the space? Aboard a spaceship? Or a more stable base anywhere? How does he adapt to live and work into space? How about cosmic radiations, exposure to low-level of gravity (or none at all)? Who took care of his education and what about his relatives and such?
Angelo Benuzzi 