Tag: science fiction

WorkInProgress: Periapsis

On By Matt FraserIn Work in ProgressLeave a comment

Periapsis: the point of closest approach, or low point, in any orbit…

Anna has finished her EVA repair of the orbital shuttle, and now she, Laxmi, and Jaci are ready to try once again to return to their starship, Aniara. But is the long-abandoned alien space station ready yet to give up its grip on them? Will Anna’s repair withstand the rigors of engine ignition?

Will Jaci stop cracking jokes in the face of imminent demise? We all have our own way of dealing with stress, and this one is his. He really needs to find some little green aliens to talk to, but if that ever happens, you can be sure it will not go as expected.

Periapsis is an orbital component that you might be more familiar with as perigee, and it’s the opposite of apoapsis (or apogee). Perigee and apogee, of course, specifically refer to orbits around Earth (just as perihelion and aphelion refer to orbits around the Sun, and not just any sun, but specifically our Sun), whereas periapsis and apoapsis are “neutral” terms referring to orbit around any central body.

At the start of this scene, the shuttle is in an orbit matching that of the alien station, which is a circular orbit (periapsis = apoapsis) at geostationary altitude and zero inclination (i.e., directly above the planet’s equator). Anna intends to fly the shuttle up to their “parked” starship’s orbit, a hundred kilometers higher, by using a prograde burn to raise their apoapsis to match Aniara’s orbit. Along the way, however, something else happens…

If you want to get into geeky details about orbital mechanics, have a look at my earlier blog post Orbital Mechanics. If you just want to jump right in, however, join Anna and her crew in…

Periapsis

image credit: NASA/JPL-CalTech

WorkInProgress: EVA

On By Matt FraserIn Work in Progress6 Comments

It’s a curious thing, but I’ve now had a couple people indicate to me that they’d be quite happy if I wrote faster. Some authors, famous for taking five-plus years per installment in their serial sagas, become annoyed when their fans try to rush them.

Not me. Ok, I’m hardly famous, and we aren’t talking about years here… and perhaps even saying fans would be a stretch… but when a couple readers tell me they’re impatient for the next scene in my serial novel, I find that highly encouraging! I’m not sure it gets me to write faster, but at least I know someone is waiting to read what I write, and that does indeed motivate me.

So, with that in mind, here it is! The next thousand words in the story of The Silence of Ancient Light. When last we left them, our heroes had managed to stabilize their crippled orbital shuttle against the surface of the alien space station, and they were mourning the death of Takashi, the engineer. The immediate danger is past, but they’re still in a bind, and they need to find a way to repair the damage to the shuttle. And to do that, someone is going to have to go back outside.

Extra-Vehicular Activity, or…

EVA

header image credit: pxhere.com

The Sci-Fi Cliché

On By Matt FraserIn Reblogs5 Comments

Does the tension in your novel come from (yet another) threat to blow up the world? If so, does the world actually end? Is it clear from Chapter 1 that the hero will save the day? Can we recognize your characters from the latest blockbusters and bestsellers? Yeah, maybe you should rethink that (unless you’re the author of that blockbuster/bestseller, of course), and Liv Archer explains why, in her usual engaging, ironic, and highly readable way.

(header image credit: NASA/JPL-CalTech)

livarcher's avatarlivarcher

With the advanced technology of today, there’s not much limitation on what we can put in movies. Unfortunately this means that everyone goes for the biggest possible special effect: exploding planet.

Every superhero out there is fighting the threat of the end of the world. Somehow the bad guy is gonna end all life on earth – and yeah, I guess that would be concerning – but am I the only one who gets bored when the bad guy starts talking about his weapon that has the ability to destroy a planet?

Yeah, it was devastating when Vulcan got swallowed by a black hole in 2009 but isn’t that the only planet that’s actually bitten the dust anyway?

The ‘human residence’ was almost incinerated in Doctor Who and the new Justice League was kind of apocalyptic.

Everywhere you turn, the whole world is being threatened and it’s ironically anticlimactic.

The…

View original post 529 more words

WorkInProgress: Pressure

On By Matt FraserIn Work in ProgressLeave a comment

The 8th installment of my work-in-progress, The Silence of Ancient Light, is ready for your review!

Racing back to their starship with their wounded crewmate, the crew of Aniara find even more trouble when their orbital shuttle is hit and damaged by some sort of weapon. Of course, the alien space station they’ve been investigating has been dead for centuries, so who or what is firing at them remains a mystery. Unable to raise the starship on the radio, and losing engine thrust and cabin pressure, Anna and her crew are forced to take emergency measures. Can they repair the shuttle before their air runs out? Find out!

Read now: Pressure

header image credit: NASA

WorkInProgress: Reaction

On By Matt FraserIn Work in ProgressLeave a comment

When last we left our heroes, they had just suffered a setback. Takashi, the expedition’s engineer, sustained an injury while attempting to cut a way into the alien space station, and now the crew prepares to race back to their ship, Aniara, for emergency medical attention.

But their troubles have only just begun. Even centuries-abandoned space stations may still have some surprises in store. Read on to find out what happens next.

 

Reaction

 

science-fiction-1390335_1280
image credit: user:tombud / pixabay.com

header image credit: user:HariSeldon58 / pixabay.com