by Gideon Marcus November 1961 been an exciting month for space buffs with several sequels to exciting missions as well as one brand new satellite. For instance, the fourth Transit navigational satellite went up on November 15. Not only did it carry a little nuclear reactor for power, but it also had a piggyback pal. … Continue reading [November 30, 1961] Man vs. Machine (November 1961 Space Round-up)
by Gideon Marcus When the news is full of Soviet spacemen and bomb tests, it's easy to get the impression that America's losing the Space Race. The Russians got the first Sputnik, the first Muttnik, the first Lunik. They launched the first two men into orbit; America's two astronauts had shorter missions than most people's … Continue reading [Oct. 1, 1961] Over and Above (America's surprising lead in the Space Race)
by Gideon Marcus It's is a red-letter day for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and for America as a whole. For today, we finally got a Mercury space capsule into orbit! The flight, dubbed "Mercury-Atlas 4," began this morning in a blast of fire on a Florida launchpad and lasted one hour and … Continue reading [September 13, 1961] Dry Run (Mercury-Atlas 4)
by Gideon Marcus Did you ever eagerly wait for Christmas only to be disappointed by what you found under the tree (or, for my fellow Jews, under the menorah)? That's what this month must feel like for fans of the American space program. While the Soviets achieved a huge success in August with the multiple … Continue reading [August 31, 1961] Look on the bright side (August space round-up)
Has John W. Campbell lost his mind? Twenty years ago, Campbell mentored some of science fiction's greats. His magazine, Astounding (now Analog), featured the most mature stories in the genre. He himself wrote some fine fiction. What the hell happened? Now, in his dotage, he's used his editorial section to plump the fringiest pseudosciences: reactionless … Continue reading [July 10, 1961] The Last Straw (Campbell's wrong-headed rant in the August 1961 Analog)
June was a busy month for space travel buffs, especially those who live in the Free World. Here's an omnibus edition covering all of the missions I caught wind of in the papers or the magazines: Little lost probe The Goddess of Love gets to keep her secrets…for now. The first probe aimed at another … Continue reading [June 30, 1961] Reaping the Harvest (June 1961 space science results)
I've been asked why it is that, as a reviewer of science fiction, I devote so much ink to the Space Race and other scientific non-fiction. I find it interesting that fans of the first would not necessarily be interested in the second, and vice versa. There are three reasons non-fiction figures so prominently in … Continue reading [May 6, 1961] Dreams into Reality (First American in Space)
Here's an end of March, real-world round-up for you before we plunge into the science fiction of April: http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/Archives/JFKWHP-AR6454-B.aspx President Kennedy devoted a good deal of time to the civil war in Laos at his fifth press conference, March 23. This three-cornered fight between the nationalists (propped up by the United States), the Communist Pathet … Continue reading [March 31, 1961] Real-world round-up for March
Before we move on to the latest Space Race update, why don't you mosey on down to your local record store and pick up a copy of Wheels, by the String-a-longs? It's a swinging tune, and it's been on the radio a lot lately. It'll keep a smile on your face even when the news … Continue reading [February 28, 1961] Strings of Success… and Failure (Transit 3B, Venera)
It's hardly kosher, but it's certainly good news: yesterday, a Redstone rocket launched the first piloted Mercury capsule on a 15-minute flight into space. No, we didn't put a man in orbit–we sent a three-year old chimpanzee named Ham on a vertical jaunt over the West Atlantic. It wasn't a perfect mission by any means. … Continue reading [February 1, 1961] Fur and Film (Mercury Redstone 2 and Samos 2)