Apollo 8 (Christmas 1968)
The crew of Apollo 8 delivered a special Christmas message from the Moon forty-six years ago this week.
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The Big Bang Theory Recap: Season 8, Episode 11: The Clean Room Infiltration
The side story of Raj’s parents’ separation takes a turn for the worse as Raj explains that they’ve hired divorce attorneys. Completely ignoring any empathy that would be appropriate, Sheldon interjects the note that he […]
Space Shuttle First Flights: John Aaron (“Exceptional” Flight Software)
NASA’s John Aaron set high standards for IBM, and Space Shuttle onboard software came closer to “error-free” than any large, complex software ever built.
The Fatal Science Flaw of the Premise of Interstellar
Interstellar my be visually stunning, but it does have a scientific fatal flaw
Space Shuttle First Flights: John Aaron (Software Failure Is Not An Option)
I met with John Aaron to explain why IBM couldn’t fulfill a Shuttle software contract that required zero errors. His answer changed my mind.
Rewind: Interview with Award-Winning Author Kim Stanley Robinson
We’re visiting Kim Stanley Robinson again
Space Shuttle First Flights: John Aaron (Error-Free Code?)
NASA required IBM’s Space Shuttle software to be delivered “error-free”. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand the likelihood of that was extremely low.
PHILAE IS ON ITS WAY
Rosetta’s lander should touch down on comet 67P at approximately 11 am est today
Space Shuttle First Flights: Phil Shaffer (Again)
During the Apollo Program, NASA’s Phil Shaffer had subjected me to what I’d describe today as a version of “Shark Tank”. I wasn’t looking forward to presenting to him again on Shuttle.
The True Cost of Space Exploration
The true cost of space exploration cannot be measured in dollars. It must be measured in human lives. For those who paid the ultimate price, we thank you and salute you. Those who understand the importance of your sacrifice will not forget. Godspeed on your next adventure.
Science Fiction of Today – Science Fact of the Not So Distant Future?
A NASA-backed study explores an innovative way to dramatically cut the cost of a human expedition to Mars
Turritopsis Dohrnii A Tale of Immortality
In my tongue-in-cheek vampire romance I’m working on I had to help one of my characters find the secret to immortality.
The Antares Rocket Explosion: October 28, 2014
An eyewitness account of the explosion of the Antares rocket: it looks very bad on TV. Close up it was horrific.
Writing Science! A Guest Post by MG Author V.L. Jennings
A guest post on science and science fiction by author V.L. Jennings
Space Shuttle First Flights: Ten Pounds in a Five Pound Sack
The first version of the Shuttle flight software had two serious problems: it couldn’t fit in the computer, and it ran way too slow. IBM was two years into the contract and basically nothing worked. All hell broke loose.
Do Black Holes Really Exist?
Black Holes are probably here to stay, says our resident investigator of quasars
Lagrangian Points – In Reality and Fiction (Part 2)
After having examined Lagrangian points in science, I would like to offer here some thoughts about their possible uses – in fiction and in a near (or far) future space colonisation. I have already talked […]
Amazingly Enough: Lost And Found – Down The Drain
LOST: ONE FRESHWATER LAKE. BLUE IN COLOR. LAST SEEN IN IBERIA PARISH, LOUISIANA, 1980.
Review: Paradox, edited by Ian Whates
Paradox, edited by Ian Whates and published by Newcon Press, is a collection of new stories exploring aspects of the Fermi Paradox. It features stories by Rachel Armstrong, Keith Brooke & Eric Brown, Pat Cadigan, David L. Clements, Paul Cornell, Paul di Filippo, Robert Reed, Mike Resnick & Robert T. Jeschoenek, Mercurio D Rivera, Adam Roberts, Stephanie Saulter, Tricia Sullivan, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Gerry Webb and George Zebrowski.
Stop the (parallel) Worlds – I Want To Get Off!
They’re expanding everywhere: an infinite series of novels, an endless number of parallel stories, each one populated by people who seem similar to us but whose lives have changed in just one salient way
Nearby Galaxy Harbours the Rarest Kind of Black Hole
A rare, mid-size black hole may have been discovered in a nearby galaxy
Space Shuttle First Flights: Bob Crippen and Dick Truly – Working with Astronauts
Hearing about the near-legendary competence of NASA astronauts was one thing, seeing it in action was humbling. Bob Crippen and Dick Truly, the two I got to work with on Space Shuttle, were the most impressive professionals I’ve met.
About Author
R.K. Troughton works as an engineer, developing tomorrow’s high-tech gadgets that protect you from the forces of evil as well as assist your doctor in piecing you back together. His passion for science fiction and fantasy has been fed through decades of consumption. He is the author of numerous science fiction and fantasy screenplays and short stories, and his debut novel is forthcoming. His articles appear every Wednesday morning on Amazing Stories.
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