Via 70s Sci Fi Art, one of my favourite images from Philippe Druillet’s LONE SLOANE sequence, circa 1972. I discovered Druillet in my early teens — I made myself finish learning French at school so I could read the untranslated LA NUIT — and I blatantly ripped this image off for a sequence in SUPREME BLUE ROSE. (UK) (US)
Art by the sainted Tula Lotay, who did not know I was making her commit a crime.
In ten years, our own bridge in space, the International Space Station, will be decommissioned. Which means it will be crashed back into the planet. Specifically, the Pacific Ocean, at a location termed Point Nemo. Point Nemo is the furthest point on the planet from land, being some 2688 kilometers off the shore of Motu Nui. Point Nemo is also known as the “spacecraft graveyard.”
At Centauri Dreams, a series has begun on a proposal for a laser-thermal rocket that would put Mars 45 days away. Also at that site, physicist Freeman Dyson’s note to a student has a wonderful little piece in it from Dyson:
General remarks. In my own career I never made long-range plans. I would advise you not to stick to plans. Always be prepared to grab at unexpected opportunities as they arise. Be prepared to switch fields whenever you have the chance to work with somebody who is doing exciting stuff. My daughter Esther, who is a successful venture capitalist running her own business, puts at the bottom of every E-mail her motto, “Always make new mistakes’’. That is a good rule if you want to have an interesting life.
Be open, wing it, adapt on the fly. Build skills on the way. There are always new skills to learn and new and interesting pathways to wander down.
Like these: 8 skills for embracing solitude.