Another Interesting Astronomy Site: Centauri Dreams

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you looking for some deep probes into astronomy studies and discussions, then you may want to visit the Centauri Dreams site. The site’s focus is about the possibility of interstellar travel at some point in the future.

Tech writer Paul Gilster has this to say about his website:

Alpha Centauri and other nearby stars seem impossible destinations not just for manned missions but even for robotic probes like Cassini or Galileo. Nonetheless, serious work on propulsion, communications, long-life electronics and spacecraft autonomy continues at NASA, ESA and many other venues, some in academia, some in private industry. The goal of reaching the stars is a distant one and the work remains low-key, but fascinating ideas continue to emerge. This site will track current research. I’ll also throw in the occasional musing about the literary and cultural implications of interstellar flight. Ultimately, the challenge may be as much philosophical as technological: to reassert the value of the long haul in a time of jittery short-term thinking.

Mr. Gilster has a way of walking you through some dense scientific papers that makes them come alive, in part by bringing in additional information and insights to make it all relatable (that is, as much as possible).

Some of his recent articles include:

—Close Stellar Encounters and Earth’s Orbit: The essay notes the continual changes of stars in our neighborhood over time, including one that may venture close enough to enter our solar system’s Oort Cloud:

Stars do indeed get that close, as the example of Gliese 710 shows. If we’re patient, we can wait out the 1.3 million years it is projected for this to happen, for this star, on the borderline between M-dwarf and K-class, is headed our way from its current vantage in the constellation Serpens Cauda. As it will eventually be well inside the Oort Cloud, we can imagine quite an impact on cometary orbits and planetary ones as well over the long haul, as the paper I’m about to discuss shows.

—To the Stars with Human Crews?: The essay discusses the potential role of solar sails in space travel, the ideas of both NASA’s Les Johnson and American physicist and science fiction writer Robert L. Forward, and various science fiction stories trying to envision such sails connecting humans with other planetary systems.

—Alone in the Cosmos?: The essay discusses Louis Friedman’s new book Alone But Not Lonely: Exploring for Extraterrestrial Life, pulling apart various points for greater discussion.

In discussing the likelihood of finding intelligent life elsewhere, Mr. Gilster states:

The point is simply to cast something as evidently evanescent as our human culture against the inexorable backdrop of geological time. And to contrast even that with a galaxy that is over 13 billion years old, where processes like these presumably occurred in multitudes of stellar systems. What are the odds that, if intelligence is rare, two civilizations would emerge at the same time and live long enough to become aware of each other?

These are just a few of the many interesting articles that you can find on the site. Just roll through the collection of essays and I am sure you find plenty to capture your imagination for some time to come.

Television: Spaceman Premiering on Netflix

Posted on by onespaceman2000

When I hear the name Adam Sandler, I do not think of a serious movie, particularly one about a space. And yet that is what Netflix is throwing our way, or at least it might have been a serious movie until they threw in a giant talking spider.

That’s right, Adam and a spider are coming to Netflix on March 1 in Spaceman to entertain you.

Here is the Netflix pitch (and the trailer):

Six months into a solitary research mission to the edge of the solar system, an astronaut, Jakub (Sandler), realizes that the marriage he left behind might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things with his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), he is helped by a mysterious creature from the beginning of time he finds hiding in the bowels of his ship. Hanuš (voiced by Dano) works with Jakub to make sense of what went wrong before it is too late.

Should you want to bypass the movie and go straight to the book, you can look for the novel Spaceman of Bohemia by Jaroslav Kalfař.

Like the new series Constellation on Apple TV+, space has become a big canvas to tell the more mundane story about lonely humans. The spaceship and other hardware are simply furnishings in such tales.

All I know is that NASA is recruiting volunteers for its own long-term isolation Mars program and I just hope the agency have sprayed the facility for spiders.

Television: Constellation on Apple TV+

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Noomi Rapace in episode 1 of Constellation. (Apple TV+)

Apple TV+ has a new space station-related drama called Constellation premiering February 21. It sounds pretty eery, but at least this trauma is more at the personal level rather than the planetary level, compared to other recent space station stories.

Here’s the basic story from Apple TV+:

Constellation” stars Noomi Rapace as Jo — an astronaut who returns to Earth after a disaster in space — only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing. The action-packed space adventure is an exploration of the dark edges of human psychology, and one woman’s desperate quest to expose the truth about the hidden history of space travel and recover all that she has lost.

You may remember Ms. Rapace from the film Prometheus, which was its own dark warning about the risks of leaving Earth. This may be just as dark. Watch the trailer as well and then decide for yourself.

It certainly is not a recruitment film for NASA, and space travel seems to be more of a device than the main plot, but I have been happy with Apple TV+ series in the past. So I will be watching this one.

Note: The Roger Ebert site has a lot more detail on the plot if you are interested. The site concludes:

Fans of the many quality science-fiction offerings on Apple TV+ will likely be satisfied by “Constellation.” It’s an interesting space drama with standout performances from its cast…But despite these moving performances, “Constellation” spends too much time floating aimlessly. The show likes to believe it’s clever, but the reality is that it often falls flat.

Movie: Rebel Moon on Netflix

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Movie advertisement for Rebel Moon. (Nexflix)

In an earlier post, I mentioned those movies you don’t need to see until they come to your television. What is even easier is when they start on the television, as is the case with Netflix’s Rebel Moon.

Released in mid-December, and labeled as “Part One: A Child of Fire,” you may be witnessing the start of an interesting new series or the creation of content for it’s own sake. I have yet to decide myself.

Here is the trailer, which tells you a good part of the story. That, and this teaser from Netflix:

When the ruthless forces of the Motherworld threaten a quiet farming village on a distant moon, a mysterious outsider becomes its best hope for survival.

The movie has some decent special effects to go along with the usual well-worn tropes:

  • An empire with troublesome planets at the edges, similar to Star Wars and Foundation? Check.
  • Desert planet hosting an individual important to the empire, similar to Star Wars? Check.
  • Desert planet with wild saloons where you battle bounty hunters and hire rogue ships and pilots, similar to Star Wars? Check.
  • Confused robot not sure about its path, similar to Lost in Space? Check.
  • Ragtag band fighting evil, similar to Guardians of the Galaxy? Check.

The list could go on and on, with elements of Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek’s Borg Queen, Vikings: Valhalla, and Firefly thrown in as well. Oh yeah, and an evil empire where the officers where Nazi SS uniforms and are followed by masked religious figures similar to the ones you see in Dune.

The only redeeming portion of this film comes after the first half when the battle scenes and reincarnation of a key character provide some interesting twists. It may not save the entire effort, but it did add to the fun.

Part Two: The Scargiver will be released on April 19th. It is supposed to be the second and final episode of Rebel Moon.

Will I watch it? Probably. Am I recommending you watch it yourself? Not really, unless you need to kill a few hours. It can be interesting, if only to create your own list of well-worn tropes.

March 1, 2024: The Return of Dune

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Dune: Part Two movie poster. (Warner Bros.)

While Dune: Part Two might have been delayed, I expect it will be more than worth the wait. In the meantime, check out the official movie site and latest trailer. I have also dropped in a few of the gallery photos below.

And you might want to check out an earlier New York Times article if you missed it. Titled “How Is ‘Dune’ So Prescient About Climate Change? Thank This Native American Tribe,” it may give you some insights into Frank Herbert’s thinking as he created his story of Dune.

Note: You should also check out this Dune cast interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live (in two parts). It’s a lot of fun.

 Image (Credit): Baron Harkonnen relaxes. (Warner Bros.)
 Image (Credit): Paul Atreides on the planet Arrakis. (Warner Bros.)
Image (Credit): The Harkonnens on the surface of Arrakis. (Warner Bros.)