Letters from the Moon: Arthur

March 27, 2006

Arthur

I got a letter from Arthur C. Clarke the other day, writing about a matter of some importance...

We can't feel the pressure of light on Earth because gravity and air molicules dominate our enviornment. he says But out in space, even a force less than 10 millionths of gravity can be important -- for it's acting all the time, hour after hour, day after day. Unlike rocket fuel, it's free and unlimited.

Of course, he continues the accelleration is tiny. But acting continuously, speeds approaching 100,000 miles per hour can eventually be achieved, all without burning a single drop of fuel! All of this makes solar sailing the only known technology that could one day take us to the stars.

Although (my short story "Sunjammer") was based on sound science, the idea was pure science fiction at the time (I wrote it 40 years ago). Now, 40 years later, science fiction nearly became reality when a pioneering group called The Planetary Society attempted to launch their own solar sail spacecraft.

Sadly, he goes on to say this intrepid craft was lost on it's initial attempt when it's launch vehicle failed to propel it into it's planned orbit...

he continues in this vein, and suggests that we review the attached questionaire, which is as follows:

SOLAR SAIL
1. The Society made history when we launched the world's first solar sail spacecraft. Although Cosmos I was lost, it heralded a new era in humanity's quest to travel to the stars. Space leaders and enthusiasts are urging us to try again.

Should the Society build and launch a new solar sail spacecraft and be the first private group to conduct a successful solar sail mission?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

Do you agree that private, nongovernmental organizations should participate directly in space exploration?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

MISSION TO MARS
2. NASA's Opportunity and Spirit rovers and Mars Express found dramatic evidence of sites once "drenched with water." These discoveries make a compelling case that Mars could have harbored life -- perhaps the best reason yet to send human explorers to the Red Planet.

Do you think sending human explorers to Mars is:
- Very Important
- Somewhat Important
- Important
- Not Important

Do you think we should send human explorers to Mars:
- As soon as we have the capability to send humans safely and efficiently.
- Only after we have established a base on the Moon.
- Not at all
- Not sure

SPACE SHUTTLE
3. A new U.S. plan would change the direction of human spaceflight and phase out the shuttle. However, the policy does not employ international cooperation in sending humans into space. The Planetary Society believes cooperative, international participation is crucial.

Do you believe international cooperation is essential for successful human exploration of worlds beyond our own?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

Should the space shuttle be retired now even if it affects the future of the space station?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

TO THE OUTER PLANETS
4. Jupiter's moon Europa shows evidence of a water ocean beneath its icy crust.

Since liquid water is essential for life, do you think a mission to Europa should be one of the top priorities for the world's space programs?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

NEAR EARTH ASTEROIDS
5. Catastrophic comet or asteroid collisions -- lie the one that may have killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years agoe -- are rare but inevitable events. The Planetary Society funds observers worldwide to discover and track near-Earth objects.

Should governments allocate additional resources for finding and monitoring near-Earth asteroids?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

Should we invest now in technology to deflect an asteroid headed for Earth?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE
6. The Society is known worldwide for it's steadfast support of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) -- with projects like our new All-Sky Optical SETI and the citizen-based SETI@home, which revolutionized distributed computing.

Do you consider SETI a worthwhile, scientifically sound endeavor?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

SPACE ADVOCACY
7. Government funding for the world's space programs can be cut back at any time due to changing priorities, budgetary restraints or political whim. This makes it difficult to maintain vigorous programs of exploration.

Do you agree that citizen advocacy and grassroots mobilization are effective methods for encouraging and ensuring innovative space missions?
- Strongly Agree
- Somewhat Agree
- Disagree

THE PLANETARY SOCIETY
8. Society Members -- tens of thousands of citizens from 125 countries -- directly participate in planetary exploration through our vital projects like SETI, SETI@home, Mars Microphone, the search for NEO's and extra-solar planets and our recent solar sail mission.

Do you think an organization such as The Planetary Society can effectively help make planetary exploration and discovery happen?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

... i just want to know what the heck they meant by that 'established a base on the Moon' business... did they think they could just slide that in there like that without us noticing?
- Yes
- No
- Not Sure

posted by matthew at 09:47 PM

"... i just want to know what the heck they meant by that 'established a base on the Moon' business... did they think they could just slide that in there like that without us noticing?"

A: No, not without you noticing. They will be noticed.

Isn't that standard U.S. policy?... go in. suppress the locals. take moon rock. leave stage 1 (as in, leave a few military bases).
leave stage 2 (as in leave).

posted by: Derek on March 28, 2006 12:30 AM

seti@home is a dirty little program meant to send back packets of your own personal information to the gov't in addition to what your computer decides to process. Don't ask me how I know this, I can't tell you.

posted by: not a conspiracy theorist on March 28, 2006 11:30 AM

My grandmother believed the Apollo missions were fake. She said all that film footage was shot in a Hollywood studio. She used to make a lot of pork and saurkraut, my grandmother. I remember it used to give me gas. I farted constantly during re-entry of the Apollo XI space capsule.

posted by: Jack on March 28, 2006 09:37 PM

A butterfly's wing would sure cause havoc on the moon!

posted by: Anonymous on March 29, 2006 12:52 AM

That butterfly on the moon (with solar particles hitting his wings) would be going 100,000 mph in a short time, if this theory holds true...

posted by: Jim on March 31, 2006 12:45 PM