Beam Me Up #453 Quest by Muzz & Echo by Alexandra Grunberg

Alexandra Grunberg

I start with a short talk on NASA for all intents selling off crucial and essential facilities.

Then I am off with a piece of music that could be considered a true birds on a wire.

Then it is off to the first story of the day - Quest by Muzz

Back to the blog I found that the Hugos were out.  However the mood was so negative that
the unthinkable.  I will let you listen to uncover the absolute the total weirdness that was
the 2015 Hugo awards.

I once again have the opportunity to speak about black holes and pocket universes.

The blog:  Sci-Fi Storm gets the down and dirty on some of the shows that did not make the cut.

But the Sci-Fi channel is well on its way to producing some classic science fiction of the past
few years.

Lastly our last story Echo by Alexandra-Grunberg

NASA Sells off Major Launch Asset

I know this is a couple of months dated, but luckily listener Joe  brought me up to speed.

It seems that NASA has turned over a central Florida shuttle facility, which comes with the longest runway in the world, 15000 feet by 300feet,  to a commercial firm  called Space Florida.

Space Florida will also gain unrestricted airspace access, which, along with the huge runway puts Space Florida well ahead of any other firms vying for commercial launching.

2015 Hugos & 5 “No Award” HUH?

The 2015 Hugo Awards, the World Science Fiction Convention in Seattle.

It appears that the drama started even before the nominations were out.

According to a report from Sci-Fi Storm blog, the group “Sad Puppies” attempting to influence the nomination and voting process to correct what they perceived as the infiltration of the genre by women and minorities, where it was formerly “ruled” by white males." (boy does THAT sound familiar!)

 Well according to the story in Sci-Fi Storm, the Sad Puppies lost out, but their antics may have resulted in perhaps deserving winners, due possibly to the Puppies support.

There were 5 categories – Best Novella, Best Short Story, Best Related Work, Best Editor, Short Form, and Best Editor, Long Form all resulted in “No Award” winning, with four others having No Award in second place, as well as the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer also coming in second. It would appear that the voter's did not appreciate the antics of the group and soundly voted any supporters out.

That being said, here is a short list of some of the award winners.

Best Novel: The Three Body Problem, Cixin Liu, Ken Liu translator

Best Novelette: The Day the World Turned Upside Down, Thomas Olde Heuvelt, Lia Belt translator

The John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer: Wesley Chu

Please visit the Sci-Fi Storm site HERE  to read the complete article and the HUGO site HERE

Do Parallel Universes Exist?

I was just looking through YouTube when I lucked onto a video from Beyond Science and narrated by Michael Chen.  Why was I so lucky?  Well first and foremost it's primary focus is that of  Universes.  Yep, multiple.  One of my Faves, the concept that every actions spins off a new universe. 

Though one must ponder the implications of this concept.   I feel much less disconcerted with the idea of pocket universes

They make a good case for instances like De-Ja-Vu (the weird feeling that you have been or done something  weirdly similar to present events.  Or even stranger, you are sure that you did or said or read something  that is subtly different.  The video shows some incredibly strange examples.

Check the video below or go to the YouTube site HERE

News From Sci-fi Storm

CBS cancels Under The Dome after three seasons,  announcing  that it will not order a fourth season of summer series.

Syfy announced today the premiere dates for Childhood’s End and The Expanse.

Childhood’s End will be a six hour mini-series, split into 3, 2 hour segments.premiering on Monday, December 14th f and continuing on the next two consecutive nights.

The Expanse will premiere on the same night - airing on Tuesdays for the total of 10 episodes.

Syfy  will develop Frederik Pohl’s Hugo and Nebula Award-winning novel Gateway about humanity’s encounter with a mysterious, ancient alien civilization. 

This and more at the Sci-Fi Storm site HERE

Orion Spacecraft is one Weld Closer to it's Next Mission

NASA is one step closer to sending astronauts to Mars. Engineers at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans welded together the first two segments of the Orion crew module that will fly atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on a mission beyond the far side of the moon.

The primary structure of Orion’s crew module is made of seven large aluminum pieces that must be precisely welded together.  The first weld connects the tunnel to the forward bulkhead, which is at the top of the spacecraft and houses many of Orion’s critical systems, such as the parachutes that deploy during reentry. Orion’s tunnel, with a docking hatch, will allow crews to move between the crew module and other spacecraft. 

During the coming months as other pieces of Orion’s primary structure arrive at Michoud from machine houses across the country, engineers will inspect and evaluate them to ensure they meet precise design requirements before welding. Once complete, the structure will be shipped to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida where it will be assembled with the other elements of the spacecraft.

Read the complete article HERE

BMU episode # 452 Kahn - IPS #35 + Alden - Child Soldier

 

Episode 452! Wow! I am constantly amazed that the episodes keep coming out to 1 hour.  I keep thinking....it's going to be late...it's going to be late and as luck would have it, they come out on time.

My initial offering deals with the SF horror genre taking a major hit this week. two new stories, plus additional material from the blog.

After the opening monologue  I give us a taste of Blue Oyster.

Then the first story for the program, In Plain Sight episode #35 and the weirdness is starting to build for our favorite psychic detective Jack Garrett.

Next is a trip through the newest listings on the Beam Me Up blog - Like a rather "twisted" end to a Long March engine, or the research that may shore up the argument that Black Holes may indeed "evaporate".

finally it is the second story for the afternoon.  Child Soldier by J. Alden.

BMU 452 HERE

Enjoy