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[August 24, 1970] Have I Seen the Future? (Expo 70, Osaka, Japan)

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Are you finding us from Worldcon?

Join us in Portal 55 (a great deal of DISCORD there…) for weekly broadcasts and perennial discussion!

Drawing of people at an elegant dinner party.

A black-and-white photo portrait of Kaye Dee. She is a white woman with long, straight dark hair worn down, looking at the camera with a smile.
by Kaye Dee

I’ve recently returned from a trip I never thought I’d get the chance to take – a whirlwind visit to Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan, courtesy of an Australian Academy of Science study tour. As an experience, Expo 70 was such a stunning kaleidoscope of colours and cultures, architecture, artworks and technology that I’m still reeling from all the impressions it left on me!

A set of four promotional posters for the Expo 70 world's fair. The first poster shows a circular flower emblem at the center of eight cones of light. The second poster shows dozens of flags waving together. The third poster shows a big red circle, evoking the Japanese flag. The fourth poster shows a massive parade of costumed performers.

Welcome to the World of Tomorrow?

Since the 1939 New York World’s Fair, with its “Building the World of Tomorrow” theme and famous “Futurama” exhibition, 20th Century international expositions have helped to imbue Western popular culture with the belief that an amazing technology-enhanced science fiction future lies somewhere just beyond the much-hyped horizon of the Year 2000 – a future filled with superfast trains, flying cars, all kinds of labour-saving household devices, exotic leisure activities and gravity-defying architecture.

Since I never made it to any of the previous post-War world’s fairs – Brussels in 1958, with its Atomium; the 1962 21st Century Exposition in Seattle; the 1964 New York World’s Fair, which offered us “Futurama II”, and Expo 67 in Montreal (the first to be designed to take advantage of global satellite communications via INTELSAT) – I was savouring the opportunity to finally have my own first-hand visit to a world of tomorrow, and one with a Japanese twist. After all, just to get there, I had to take a train from Tokyo that feels like a slice of science fiction itself – the incredible Shinkansen, or bullet train!

So, with the memories of my literally flying visit to Japan to spend three days at Expo 70 fresh in my mind, let me take you on a Journey to the latest world's fair to see if the future unfolds.

View of the model of a city of the future at New York World's Fair 1964.How the Futurama II diorama at the 1964 New York World's Fair envisaged a city in the year 2014

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Magazine/Anthology, Science / Space Race, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Serial

[August 18, 1970] Landed minority (September 1970 Fantasy and Science Fiction)

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Are you finding us from Worldcon?

Join us in Portal 55 (a great deal of DISCORD there…) for weekly broadcasts and perennial discussion!

Colour cartoon of well-dressed white people at a cocktail party engaged in conversations

photo of a man with glasses and curly, long, brown hair, and a beard and mustache
by Gideon Marcus

Venus or Borscht

Just three days ago, the USSR launched its seventh probe to the second planet, continuing to run up the score against America in the exploration of that world.

Black & white photograph of a rocket on its launchpad surrounded by a gantry framework
Venera 6 on the launchpad—presumably, Venera 7 was launched by a similar rocket

In four months, Venus 7 will complete its 217 million mile trip.  Like its three predecessors, Venuses 5 and 6 and Venus 4, the seventh Venus probe is designed as a lander.  Of course, there's a little dispute between the two superpowers as to whether any of the prior trio actually reached the surface.  Several Western scientists contend that Venuses 4-6 all burned up on their way through the seething, hot atmosphere.

Perhaps Venus 7 will make it all the way down.  It weighs 105 pounds more than its predecessors, tipping the scale to 2,596 pounds.  Maybe some of that is armor or insulation.  Either way, at least Venus 7 is safely on course, which is better than some of its predecessors.  Many Soviet "Cosmos" satellites are suspected to have been would-be interplanetary probes whose rockets failed to refire once the craft reached Earth orbit.

Black & white photograph of five white-coated engineers gathered around a all sides of a complex machine approximately four meters in height.  Various hoses and pressure chambers are in evidence around the probe's chassis, and there appears to be an umbrella-like dish facing towards the camera
Engineers working on Venera 6 (we don't have pictures of Venera 7 yet)

Since Neil Armstrong first set foot on the lunar surface, the Soviets have maintained that they were never in the Moon Race, preferring, instead, to concentrate on exploring the planets and building space stations.  Indeed, it's likely the Reds will put up a Venus 8 within the week, just as they sent Venuses 5 and 6 as twins last year.  We've only managed two (highly successful) flybys so far.

Ad Venera per aspera.  I don't care who explores the planets so long as I get to read the research results!

Summertime

The results are in, however, for the latest issue of F&SF.  Plus, I've got a little surprise for you at the end.  Let's see what the Ferman family has for us this month:

Cover of the September issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction, featuring Thomas Burnett Swann, Isaac Asimov, James Blish, and David R Bunch.  The illustration is of a softly burnished robot waiting impatiently at a 6th avenue cross-walk, arms on hips and vacuum tubes aglow, where both sidewalk and street have been been decayed by time into sand and dust
by Mel Hunter

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Magazine/Anthology, Science / Space Race, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Serial

[July 31, 1970] Not so Brillo… (August 1970 Analog)

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Don't miss tonight's Spocktacular edition of Science Fiction Theater!  Starts at 7PM Pacific.  Also featuring the last appearance of Chet Huntley on the Huntley/Brinkley Report!

photo of a man with glasses and curly, long, brown hair, and a beard and mustache
by Gideon Marcus

Paine-ful exit

The proverbial rats are leaving the sinking ship.  Not too long ago, a clutch of NASA scientists departed America's space agency, citing too much emphasis on engineering and propaganda.  Now, Thomas O. Paine, who took NASA's reins from its second adminstrator, Jim Webb, has announced his resignation.  He leaves the agency on September 15.  He lasted less than two years; contrast with Webb, who was there seven and a half.

Newspaper clipping of Thomas O. Paine with white hair, thick glasses, and a black tie. The caption reads 'Thomas O. Paine Leaving NASA post Paine Lists Problems of NASA.'

Paine did not characterize his departure as any indication of disagreement with the agency's current direction.  He said he was leaving NASA in strong shape, and that this was the most appropriate time for his departure.  He's going back to a management position with General Electrics.

But Paine cannot be very happy with how things have been going lately.  NASA's work force has been gutted–from 190,000 to 140,000 personnel; the last Saturn V first stage will be completed next month; and the future of Apollo's successor, the Space Shuttle, is in doubt.  The poor director has watched the space agency go from the pinnacle of human achievement to a nadir unseen since the late '50s.  If only we'd adopted the Agnew "Mars Plan"…

Deputy Administator George M. Low will take Paine's place for the time being.  A replacement has not yet been tapped.  Stay tuned!

Painful effort

If Paine left willingly, Analog editor John Campbell, on the other hand, seems determined not to let his magazine go until he does.  Which is sad because this month's issue is yet another indication of how far the once-proud property has fallen in quality."Two astronauts meet one another between a large satelite.
Cover of the August 1970 issue of Analog Science Fiction featuring a rocky lake landscape, with a large burning mass in the background. In the foreground, there is a rock-like alien with two eye stalks
Cover by Kelly Freas

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Magazine/Anthology, Science / Space Race, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Serial

[June 30, 1970] Star light… per stratagem (July 1970 Analog)

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photo of a man with glasses and curly, long, brown hair, and a beard and mustache
by Gideon Marcus

Up in the Sky

Apollo 13 may have made for great TV, but it's been terrible for NASA.  This morning, in testimony before Senate Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences, NASA Administrator Dr. Thomas O. Paine reviewed the results of the Apollo 13 accident investigations and announced that the next (Apollo 14) mission had been postponed to Jan. 31, 1971–a three month delay.  I imagine this is going to snarl up the meticulously planned schedule of Apollos 15-19, especially since Skylab is supposed to go up somewhere in that time frame.

A color image showing three satellites orbiting the Earth against a background of stars.  The orbit is indicated by a circle.  The image is titled Skylab Program Major Areas of Emphasis.  The satellite on the left is aiming a beam of light up at the top of the image, and is labeled Science: Solar Astronomy.  The satellite in the middle is aiming a beam of light down at the earth and is labeled Applications: Earth resources, materials, processing.  The satellite on the right does not have a light and is labeled Long Duration Missions: Habitability, Medical, and Work Effectiveness.

…If any of these missions happen.  In a recent poll of 1520 Americans, 55% said they were very worried about fate of Apollo 13 astronauts following mission abort, 24% were somewhat worried, 20% were not very worried, and 1% were not sure.  More significantly, a total of 71% expected fatal accident would occur on a future mission.  Perhaps its no surprise that the American public is opposed by 64% to 30% to major space funding over the next decade. 

The scissor-wielders on Capitol Hill are heeding the call.  Yesterday, Sen. Walter F. Mondale (D-Minn.), for himself, Sen. Clifford P. Case (R-N.J.), Sen. William Proxmire (D-Wis.), and Sen. Jacob
K. Javits (R-N.Y.), submitted an amendment to H.R. 17548 (the Fiscal Year 1971 Independent Offices and HUD appropriations bill.  Not a happy one.

It would reduce NASA's R&D appropriation by $110 million–which just happens to be the amount requested by NASA for design and definition of space shuttle and station.

A color diagram labeled Mission Evolution Through Hardware Commonality.  The legend explains the color coding of the vehicles.  Green: Space Station Module; Red: Space Shuttle; Orange: Nuclear Shuttle; Yellow: Tug.  The diagram has a black background and shows Earth in the top left corner, the Moon slightly left of center beneath, and Mars near the right corner of the image.  Curved lines connect Earth to Mars and to the Moon, and orbital circles surround each, with Earth having two orbitals.  On the smaller Earth orbital, three bodies are depicted.  An orange Nuclear Shuttle has a red space shuttle above it.  A Space Base and a Low Earth Orbit Space Station are both green and yellow.  On the outer orbital sits a green and yellow Synchronous Orbit Station.  On the surface of the moon, a green and yellow Lunar Base is perched, with a green and yellow Lunar Orbit Station on its orbital. On the curve leading from Earth to Mars, an orange Orbit Launch Vehicle carries a green Mars Spacecraft.  An unlabeled green satellite is on the Mars orbital, with a green Mars Base sitting on its surface.

Mondale excoriated the proposal: "This project represents NASA’S next major effort in manned space flight. The $110 million. . .is only the beginning of the story. NASA’s preliminary cost estimates for development of the space shuttle/station total almost $14 billion, and the ultimate cost may run much higher. Furthermore, the shuttle and station are the first essential steps toward a manned Mars landing. . .which could cost anywhere between $50 to $100 billion.  I have seen no persuasive justification for embarking upon a project of such staggering costs at a time when many of our citizens are malnourished, when our rivers and lakes are polluted, and when our cities and rural areas are decaying."

A black and white photo of Walter Mondale, a white man with dark hair wearing a suit and tie.  He is looking to the right of the viewer with a neutral expression.

This seems a false choice to me.  Surely there is such wealth in this country that we can continue the Great Society and the exploration of space, especially if we gave up fripperies like, oh I don't know, the war in Cambodia.  To be fair, I know Fritz Mondale opposes the war, too, but we're talking a matter of scale here–the shuttle and station are going to cost peanuts compared to the outlay for the military-industrial complex.

That said, maybe Van Allen is right, and we shouldn't be wasting money on manned boondoggles, instead focusing on robotic science in space.  On the third hand… "No Buck Rogers, no Bucks." 

What do you think?

Down on the Ground

A color image of the front cover of the July 1970 edition of Analog.  Beneath the magazine title, the featured story is listed: Per Stratagem by Robert Chilson.  Below, a large brown insectoid creature stands on six legs against a yellow background. It has four tentacles emerging from the top of its body and is wearing a tool belt with a pouch on it around the lower part of the carapace.  It is angled away from the viewer, such that the only feature visible on its pointed head is its large open mouth full of humanoid teeth.  Facing it, a white man with gray hair wearing a brown shirt and pants stands in a doorway, looking at the creature with a look of concern.  Another humanoid figure is in shadow behind him.
Illustration by Leo Summers

Well, if we lose our ticket to space in the 1970s, at least we'll have our dreams.  Thank goodness for science fiction, and even for the July 1970 issue of Analog.  Dreary as this month's mag is, it's got enough in it to keep it from being unworthy.

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Magazine/Anthology, Science / Space Race, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Serial

[May 31, 1970] A Compulsion to read (June 1970 Analog)

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photo of a man with glasses and curly, long, brown hair, and a beard and mustache
by Gideon Marcus

Monster-eyed bug

Last week, NASA released the news that the Apollo 12 astronauts brought back a fourth astronaut at the end of their flight last November.  A common human germ, Streptococcus mitis to be exact, was found to have hitched a ride back with Surveyor 3's camera, after surviving some 32 months in the harsh environment of the lunar surface.

Streptococcus mitis under a microscope.
Streptococcus mitis (c) Ansel Oommen

Frederick J. Mitchell, a scientist at the Lunar Receiving Laboratory, stated that it was "notable, but not unexpected" that a bacterium might make and survive the trip to the Moon as a stowaway on a terrestrial spacecraft.  Thanks to insufficient clean-room procedures, it was probably deposited on Surveyor's camera when the camera's shroud was removed for repairs and then replaced, and then launched with the soft-lander in 1967.  The high vacuum of space actually freeze-dried the bug, allowing it to remain viable indefinitely. 

The Surveyor 3 camera on a black background.
the Surveyor 3 camera

Given that we were unable to prevent terrestrial life forms from contaminating our nearest celestial companion, one has to wonder if we will taint Mars or Venus when we launch probes to the surfaces of those planets in the next decade.  It's a bit like Schrödinger's equations—just as you affect what you see by looking at it, you can't investigate a planet without risking an alteration of said planet.  It may well be that humans will land on Mars in the 1980s to find icy ponds rimed with Earth bacteria.

It's enough to make you want to leave well enough alone!

Bug-eyed caterpillars

Cover of analog Science Fiction, June 1970 featuring a futuristic barge on a craggy ocean shore. The featured title is 'STAR LIGHT' by Hal Clement
by Kelly Freas

On the other hand, this month's Analog is quite good, and well worth your time.  Let's take a look:

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Science / Space Race

[May 14, 1970 Another Perfect Emergency (Saving Apollo-13)

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[New to the Journey?  Read this for a brief introduction!]

A black-and-white photo portrait of Kaye Dee. She is a white woman with long, straight dark hair worn down, looking at the camera with a smile.
by Kaye Dee

On 5 May, the Apollo-13 crew visited the Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation factory in Bethpage, New York, to thank the company for its lifesaving Lunar Module, without which the recent lunar mission would have ended in disaster.

Three men holding presentation gifts of a lunar module model mounted on a plaque. They are on a stage with a crowd behind themleft to right: Apollo-13 astronauts Haise, Swigert, and Lovell during their visit to Grumman's Bethpage plant

The Grumman team’s contribution to the successful outcome of the mission – understanding the full capabilities of the vehicle they had designed so that it could be pressed into service as the astronauts’ lifeboat – is just one example of the innovativeness and dedication of the many NASA support teams working behind the scenes in the Apollo programme.

Today, I want to tell another behind-the-scenes story, one that comes “straight from the horse’s mouth”, as I’ve interviewed many of the personnel involved – the crucial role played by NASA’s space tracking networks, in particular the Manned Space Flight Network (MSFN) in Australia, in saving Apollo-13. I hope it will give you some insight into the complex technical and logistical operations that were required to respond to the emergency, and a feel for the urgency with which everyone was operating.

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Science / Space Race

[April 26, 1970] Red stars in space (Communist China and the USSR make leaps)

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photo of a man with glasses and curly, long, brown hair, and a beard and mustache
by Gideon Marcus

It's likely you missed the other big news in space given how much the flight of Apollo 13 dominated the air waves.  But while we were busy ensuring that Lovell, Swigert, and Haise made it back home, the ChiComs and the Russkies were accomplishing some space spectaculars of their own:

If you look up in the sky, you'll see nine new stars, all of them Red!

Colour photograph from an elevated vantage of large crowds of people gathered in Tien An Men Square, illuminated from above by brilliant lamps

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Science / Space Race

[April 22, 1970] “Houston, We’ve had a Problem Here!” (Apollo-13 emergency in space)

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[New to the Journey?  Read this for a brief introduction!]

A black-and-white photo portrait of Kaye Dee. She is a white woman with long, straight dark hair worn down, looking at the camera with a smile.
by Kaye Dee

Philatelic envelope with coloured line drawings relating to the Apollo-13 space mission.

We all breathed a sigh of relief when the astronauts of Apollo-13 returned to Earth safely a few days ago, after the Apollo programmes’ first (and hopefully last) inflight emergency, but superstitious people are claiming that Apollo-13 was unlucky because of a prevalence of “13s”! After all, the mission was launched at 13:13 Houston time (but somewhere in the world there will always be a place where the time is 13: something!) and the explosion that caused its inflight emergency occurred on 13 April (but only in certain timezones – it was already 14 April in Australia and most of the world east of the United States).

Don’t tell me the Apollo-13 crew were “unlucky”; in fact, they were immensely lucky that when something did go wrong they were a team with the right skills for the situation. As seasoned test pilots, the crew were experienced at working in critical situations with their lives on the line, and their professional skills as astronauts were matched by the “tough and competent” (to quote Flight Director Mr. Gene Kranz) Mission Control teams, backed by highly trained engineers and scientists – all determined to “return them safely to the Earth”, just as President Kennedy committed NASA to do when he set the goal of a manned lunar landing by 1970!

Diagram timeline of major mission events during Apollo-13Timeline of major mission events during Apollo-13

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Science / Space Race

[March 30, 1970] The Age of Explorer — the end of the Space Race

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photo of a man with glasses and curly, long, brown hair, and a beard and mustache
by Gideon Marcus

In February 1958, just months before Galactic Journey took to press, Vice President Nixon visited Jet Propulsion Laboratory.  He went personally congratulate the team that had built America's first artificial satellite, Explorer 1.

Vice President Richard Nixon holds a model of the cone-shaped top of the Explorer satellite with Dr. Lee DuBridge, left, president of Cal Tech, and Dr. William H. Pickering, right, director of the Cal Tech Jet Propulsion lab
Vice President Richard Nixon and a model of the Explorer satellite with Dr. Lee DuBridge, left, president of Cal Tech, and Dr. William H. Pickering, right, director of the Cal Tech Jet Propulsion lab, during a news conference in Pasadena, Calif., Feb. 17, 1958.

Now it is 1970.  President Nixon is presiding over a severe curtailing of our space program.  Next month, Apollo 13 will head to the Moon, marking the end of the first stage of lunar reconnaissance.  The original plan was for ten increasingly ambitious lunar landings, paving the way for long term exploration and exploitation.  But it's looking now like Apollo 11 was more of a conclusion than a beginning.  The Saturn V assembly line is shut down, Congress and the President are against any ambitious space endeavors, and even the three phases of Apollo flights are being cut down to two.

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