The death of Sen. John Glenn on December 8 brought to my mind the extraordinary achievement of his three orbits around the earth on February 20, 1962. He was the last survivor of the Mercury astronauts, the seven American test pilots who risked their lives to prove that humans could travel and work in space. … More You can remember John Glenn by watching this 2005 British TV series
My two college-age daughters and I walked out of a showing of The Martian last weekend in a mild daze resembling postprandial satisfaction. You want that feeling of well-being to go on, and so the first question I asked them and an accompanying friend was, “Should it get a sequel?” The answer: “NO!!!!!” I agree. … More Why The Martian’s success probably won’t spawn a sequel
When Americans think of a place for outer space on Earth, Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center come immediately to mind. That’s where the United States has launched most of the manned and unmanned space missions of the past half-century. Things are changing, however. While launches will always happen close to the equator because of … More Is Seattle the ‘New Space’ Capital of the USA?
Growing up in the 1960s, it was easy to spot the American heroes of the Space Age. Alan Shepard was the first to strap himself onto a rocket and blast into space. John Glenn followed him around the earth, and the parade continued until sometime in the 1980s, when the only astronauts that entered the … More Who are the new heroes of the Space Age?
I’ve taken a small break from the novel to write a short. It’s called “Space Porn” (yep, all the spam filters are going to catch that one) and it’s about a teenaged boy who is more interested in deep space objects that pretty girls. I’m also brushing up on my editing skills by reading Self-Editing … More Working on a Short
J.G. Follansbee 