Geek Out

Don't get me wrong, I love being a bookseller specializing in modern children's books and have spent the last 14 years or so learning all I can about this field (that and reading my inventory). But every now and the then my inner techno geek emerges and demands science.

When that happens I find myself browsing nanotechnology websites, reading articles about the latest in hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels with the same sense of wonder I remember from when I was a kid reading Asimov's Lucky Star and the Rings of Saturn or Heinlein's Have Space Suit Will Travel.

The common thread between the science fiction of my childhood and my fascination with modern tech is the feeling that even though we may be a victim of space pirates, time, or just our own shortsightedness we also have the capability and the responsibility to discover, create or just plain fix something that is broken.

Science Fiction/Science Fact

From dictionary.com

Convergence-

The process of coming together or the state of having come together toward a common point.

An example where Science Fiction may become Science Fact....

From Wikipedia

The Fountains of Paradise is a 1979 novel by Arthur C. Clarke. Set in the 22nd century, it describes the construction of a space elevator. This orbital "beanstalk" is a giant structure rising from the ground and linking with a satellite in geostationary at the height of approximately 36,000 kilometers (approx. 22,300 miles). Such a structure would be used to raise payloads to orbit without having to use rockets, making it much more cost-effective.

and from NASA:

Sept. 7, 2000 -- "Yes, ladies and gentlemen, welcome aboard NASA's Millennium-Two Space Elevator. Your first stop will be the Lunar-level platform before we continue on to the New Frontier Space Colony development. The entire ride will take about 5 hours, so sit back and enjoy the trip. As we rise, be sure to watch outside the window as the curvature of the Earth becomes visible and the sky changes from deep blue to black, truly one of the most breathtaking views you will ever see!"

Does this sound like the Sci-Fi Channel or a chapter out of Arthur C. Clarke's, Fountains of Paradise? Well, it's not. It is a real possibility -- a "space elevator" -- that researchers are considering today as a far-out space transportation system for the next century.

David Smitherman of NASA/Marshall's Advanced Projects Office has compiled plans for such an elevator that could turn science fiction into reality. His publication, Space Elevators: An Advanced Earth-Space Infrastructure for the New Millennium, is based on findings from a space infrastructure conference held at the Marshall Space Flight Center last year. The workshop included scientists and engineers from government and industry representing various fields such as structures, space tethers, materials, and Earth/space environments.

"This is no longer science fiction," said Smitherman. "We came out of the workshop saying, 'We may very well be able to do this.'"