The Man Who Sold the Moon

The Man Who Sold the Moon

I just finished reading the story, "The Man Who Sold the Moon" by Robert A. Heinlein as collected in his book "THE PAST THROUGH TOMORROW."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Past_Through_Tomorrow
(I have ordered a used book of "The Man Who Sold the Moon," that has some other stories as well - reading some of Heinlein's books)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon_%28short_story_collection%29
http://www.amazon.com/Man-Who-Sold-Moon/dp/0671578634
- LRK -

Heinlein's predictions of the future have not all come true. Still, many of them could if we wanted them to, as the technology is here. What we might need is someone like D. D. Harriman, who wants desperately to go to the Moon and it isn't happening because the nuclear power sources are being used for more Earthly requirements. He sets up the necessary marketing schemes to get the money and the story unfolds.
- LRK -

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Who_Sold_the_Moon

The Man Who Sold the Moon is a science fiction novella by Robert A. Heinlein written in 1949 and published in 1950, part of his "Future History" of stories sharing a common background from "Life-Line" to "Da Capo". This story, which has the sequel "Requiem", covered events around a fictional first moon-landing, in 1978. It follows the story "Blowups Happen" in the Future History chronology. In that story, space flight was supposedly assured by a new nuclear fuel produced in an orbiting reactor. In this episode the reactor has been destroyed and the nuclear rocket has been found to be a dead-end.

The Man Who Sold the Moon follows the machinations of Delos D. Harriman, "the first of the new robber barons," who is determined to reach and control the Moon. The story centers on Harriman's wheelings and dealings to accomplish his dream. "I," he tells his business partner, "would cheat, lie, steal, beg, bribe — do anything to accomplish what we have accomplished". Harriman's determination is rooted in his childhood desire to travel to the moon himself, but the responsibilities of running his financial empire may make this dream impossible.

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I am also continuing to look at the paintings of Robert McCall in his book, "The Art of Robert McCall: A Celebration of Our Future In Space"

The captions on the paintings of where he thought we would be in our use of space gave us hope for the future.
I am sorry to say that many of them have had their schedules slipped or put on hold.
What we were told would happen at such and such a time didn't materialize.
It makes for mixed emotions as I look at the paintings.

Like ----
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Page 40.
RETURN TO THE MOON
(24" x 36", acrylic on canvas, 1991; collection of the artist)

NASA plans a new series of missions to the moon, beginning in the next decade with unmanned robot probes and culminating with manned missions by the year 2005. By 2010, NASA hopes to establish working lunar bases such as the one depicted here, to perform scientific and industrial missions. (Courtesy NASA)

Page 41.
L1 SPACEPORT
(30" x 44", acrylic on canvas, 1986; collection of the artist)

Between the orbits of the Earth and the moon are areas called "libration points" or "Lagrange points," where the gravitational pulls of the two worlds cancel each other out. Here, spacecraft require less energy to construct and launch. In this painting, astronauts service a transfer vehicle bound for Mars at a spaceport located at Libration Point 1.

Page 42.
CULTIVATING THE MOON
(24" x 36", acrylic on canvas, 1991; collection of the artist)

Survival on the moon will require the basic materials needed to sustain life: hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, to produce air, water, and organic materials. The expense of lifting such materials out of Earth's gravity well will drive the effort to mine these compounds on the moon itself.

The vehicle in the foreground is a "lunar combine," powered by a solar antenna, which tills the fine lunar dust, forcing it into an extracting chamber where gases are separated from silicon and other minerals. Gas cylinders are stored to the left. To the right is a vast "solar farm: beaming microwave energy back to Earth. (Courtesy NASA)

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On Paul D. Spudis blog "The Once and Future Moon", he has some biting remarks about where it looks like we are at the moment. Others in the comments suggest looking at what is being proposed in the budget. I just hope we see something positive happen in developing space before I am 100 years old.
(or will I need to take some longevity pills?)
- LRK -

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http://blogs.airspacemag.com/moon/2010/03/11/stuck-in-transit-%E2%80%93-unchaining-ourselves-from-the-rocket-equation/
March 11, 2010
Stuck in Transit – Unchaining Ourselves From the Rocket Equation

Last fall, after much anticipation, the Augustine Committee presented us with their assessment of the future of space exploration. Its basic conclusion was that at currently envisioned budgets, the Program of Record (a.k.a. ESAS, Project Constellation) would not get us back to the Moon before many decades had passed, if then. This meme has been picked up by many in the space community to the point where is it now cliché to claim that we don’t have enough money to do anything in space. Hence, the direction proposed in the new budget takes NASA out of the space transportation business entirely, freeing up their budget to focus on technology development, and contracting with commercial providers to create access to low Earth orbit (LEO) and the International Space Station (ISS).

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Simply put, our space objectives need to be – arrive, survive and thrive. To do that, the goal must be stated, mapped out and achieved before setting out to the next destination. A sustainable, expandable transportation system in space can be devised by using the resources we find in space. We will learn how (and if) we can do this on our Moon. Once we don’t have to haul everything with us from the Earth, costs become lower. When you don’t have to use 90% of your travel budget just to get out of town, a lot more people can take the trip. Before you know it, you have a space-based economy.

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Since commercial flights to the ISS are in the news, you might want to follow Falcon 9 rocket tests and launch preparations at Spaceflight Now.
- LRK -

Rocket: Falcon 9
Payload: Dragon
Date: April 12, 2010
Window: 11 a.m.-3 p.m. EDT
Site: SLC-40, Cape Canaveral, Florida
- LRK -

This was 3/13/10 - LRK -
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http://www.spaceflightnow.com/falcon9/001/status.html
Mission Status Center

By Stephen Clark

Welcome to Spaceflight Now's live coverage of the inaugural Falcon 9 rocket launching a Dragon test unit on a demonstration flight. Text updates will appear automatically; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter. http://twitter.com/spaceflightnow/

2029 GMT (3:29 p.m. EST)
SpaceX released the following statement this afternoon:

"Today, SpaceX successfully completed a test firing of the inaugural Falcon 9 launch vehicle at Space Launch Complex 40 located at Cape Canaveral. Following a nominal terminal countdown, the launch sequencer commanded ignition of all 9 Merlin first stage engines for a period of 3.5 seconds.

"Just prior to engine ignition, the pad water deluge system was activated providing acoustic suppression to keep vibration levels within acceptable limits. The test validated the launch pad propellant and pneumatic systems as well as the ground and flight control software that controls pad and launch vehicle configurations. The completion of a successful static fire is the latest milestone on the path to first flight of the Falcon 9 which will carry a Dragon spacecraft qualification unit to orbit."

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And we shall see, what we shall see, next in April 2010.
- LRK -

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Falcon 9's launch scheduled for 12 April, 2010.
President Obama to Host Space Conference in Florida (April 15)
April 19, 2010 "A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch the U.S. military's X-37B, a prototype space plane also called the Orbital Test Vehicle."
OTV built by Boeing for the Air Force and DARPA.

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So it has been said, but then things change, get modified, dropped or are left to the mercy of the weather. (or, purse strings lose with coins spilling out)
A link below tracking such things.
- LRK -

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http://spaceflightnow.com/tracking/index.html

March 11, 2010 - A regularly updated listing of planned missions from spaceports around the globe. Dates and times are given in Greenwich Mean Time. "NET" stands for no earlier than. "TBD" means to be determined. Recent updates appear in red type. Please send any corrections, additions or updates by e-mail to:
sclark@spaceflightnow.com

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Back to reading what the future might have been. at least from those that had a vision.
- LRK -

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Requiem - the short story -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Requiem_%28short_story%29
Plot summary

The story centers around the lead character of "The Man Who Sold The Moon", Delos David Harriman. Harriman, a tycoon and latter-day robber baron, had always dreamed of going to the Moon, and had spent much of his career and resources making space flight a practical commercial enterprise. Unfortunately, his business partners prevented him from taking the early flights (as shown in the novella). Now an old man, Harriman has still not been to the Moon, a fact that frustrates him, since he lives in a world where space travel is so commonplace that carnivals have their own barnstorming spacecraft. No longer bound by his contractual obligations, he is now too old; he is unable to pass the medical examination needed for space travel.

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Like D. D. Harriman, I probably could not pass the physical for a space flight to the Moon, if a space flight to the Moon, there would be. :-(

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK -

Web Site: http://lkellogg.vttoth.com/LarryRussellKellogg/
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_Space_Suit%E2%80%94Will_Travel

Have Space Suit—Will Travel is a science fiction novel for young readers by Robert A. Heinlein, originally serialised in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction (August, September, October 1958) and published by Scribner's in hardcover in 1958 as the last of the Heinlein juveniles.

Heinlein made good use of his engineering expertise to bring a sense of realism to the story; for a time during World War II, he was a civilian aeronautics engineer working at a laboratory where pressure suits were developed for use at high altitudes.

Have Space Suit—Will Travel was nominated for a Hugo Award in 1959.[1]

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Clifford "Kip" Russell, a bright high school senior with an eccentric father, enters an advertising jingle writing contest for Skyway Soap, hoping to win an all-expenses-paid trip to the Moon. He instead gets an obsolete, but genuine, used space suit. Though a few make fun of him, with the help of sympathetic townspeople, and using his own ingenuity and determination, Kip puts the suit (which he dubs "Oscar") back into working condition.

Kip wants to go into space; he reluctantly decides to return his space suit for a cash prize to help pay for college, but puts it on for one last walk. As he idly broadcasts on his radio, someone identifying herself as "Peewee" answers with a Mayday signal. He helps her home in on his location, and is shocked when a flying saucer lands practically on top of him. A young girl and an alien being (later identified asthe "Mother Thing") debark, but all three are quickly captured and taken to the Moon.

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK

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