Category Archives: Solar Sci-Fi

The Rocket Company: Chapters 13-16

August 2, 2013 TopSpacer

In the continuing serialization of the updated version of the book The Rocket Company by Patrick J. G. Stiennon and David M. Hoerr, with illustrations by Doug Birkholz. This week you can obtain the following chapters of the book:

Download these within the next week or so. Only four chapters will be available at any one time.

See also the electronic version of the updated book is available at The Rocket Company eBook by Patrick Stiennon, David Hoerr, Peter Diamandis, Doug Birkhol: Kindle Store/Amazon.com.

Solar Sci-Fi, Space films and videos

“Europa Report” opens in theaters

August 2, 2013 TopSpacer

I’ve mentioned the new film Europa Report a few times here over the past several months. It is about a future privately funded mission to the Jupiter moon Europa and is done in a documentary, found-footage style. The mission is also depicted in a very scientifically rigorous manner, i.e. the film is of the rare “hard sci-fi” genre. It’s also in the Solar Sci-Fi category.

The film has been available in video on demand and on line for awhile but today it has been released to theaters. Here are some reviews:

Here’s a report on a panel discussion of the movie at the recent Comic Con event in Las Vegas: Talk of an icy moon at Vegas for Nerds – The Space Review.

The Europa Ventures LLC website is for the organization in the movie that ran the Europa mission.

Here is the trailer for the film:

More space and solar sci-fi film resources in the HobbySpace movies section.

Solar Sci-Fi, Space Policy

“The Sky Suspended” by Laura Montgomery

July 31, 2013 TopSpacer 2 Comments

In the ebook The Sky Suspended Laura Montgomery creates an unusual science fiction plot based on “asteroids, crowds, lawyers and a starship”. (Link via Transterrestrial Musings.)

**************************

Solar Sci-Fi, Space films and videos

Video: New trailer for “Gravity”

July 24, 2013 TopSpacer

Here is a new trailer for the movie Gravity with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney about a bad day in orbit:

Here’s the previous trailer:

History, Solar Sci-Fi, Space films and videos

On the set of “Destination Moon” in 1950

July 23, 2013 TopSpacer 3 Comments

The 1950 film Destination Moon was one of the first hard sci-fi films ever made in Hollywood (and one of the few such films made in Hollywood ever ). The story and the script for the privately financed mission to the Moon were created by famous science fiction author Robert Heinlein. Noted space artist Artist Chesley Bonestell contributed to the lunar set design and painted the backdrops. George Pal, noted for directing many sci-fi films including The Time Machine, produced this film while Irving Pichel directed it.

All four, along with some of the actors, are interviewed during this episode of the TV show “City at Night”, which was recorded on the set of the film: