Hiawatha and Minnehaha are O'Neil colonies at the Lagrangian points sixty degrees before and behind the Moon. They were the first human habitats off Earth although no stories are set inside them. In fact, they are mentioned only in an infodump in Mirkheim which is Polesotechnic League Tetralogy, Volume IV, where they come across as very much an afterthought. Poul Anderson does go into considerable detail about colonization of the Moon itself, although not of O'Neil colonies, in his later and very different Harvest Of Stars Tetralogy/future history series. We can compare Anderson's Technic History not only with future history series by half a dozen other sf writers but also with half a dozen other future history series by Anderson himself.
In Robert Heinlein's Future History, technological advances, solar and nuclear energy, moving roads and rockets to the Moon, are presented in Volume I where they are the basis for what is to follow. James Blish's Cities In Flight, Volume I, They Shall Have Stars, describes the two discoveries that make the later interstellar travel possible. Hiawatha and Minnehaha initiated Technic civilization but do not receive comparable upfront treatment. Orbiting industries and cultural fusions generated a new civilization and Hiawatha was the venue for a Polesotechnic League Council that failed to prevent eventual cartelization and decline of the League.
5 comments:
The rotating space habitat is a really good idea that was first proposed after many of the Technic History stories were written with no mention of the idea. Anderson had to retcon some reason they *didn't* dominate the later Technic civilization. That is one good reason for Anderson to later write more non-Technic civilization stories.
In retrospect in seems plausible that off earth humanity will be mostly in such habitats. If gravity at Martian or less levels turn out to be unhealthy for humans then living anywhere but earth or a rotating habitat is *unlikely*. The other possibility is balloon habitats in Venus' atmosphere, which *might* be used in the long period of terraforming Venus. Those balloon habitats would be far fewer than the rotating habitats.
That explains a lot.
Kaor, Jim!
I agree, most of the Technic stories had been written by the time Gerard O'Neill pub. THE HIGH FRONTIER in 1978.
Then let's get OUT there and find out what works or will not work! I'm sick of this dithering and cowering on Earth!
That said, I think Mars will be habitable for human beings.
Hope this uploads.
Ad astra! Sean
"let's get OUT there and find out what works or will not work"
Starting with a moon base to check the health effects of living at lunar gravity and experiment with techniques for using off earth resources, within a few days travel of earth.
At about the same time, set up 2 Starships tethered together & rotating at a separation & speed that gives Martian gravity to test the health effects of that gravity level. I have no opinion on whether Martian gravity will be healthy for humans until we have some data.
Also to run machinery at Martian gravity to make sure they will work at a Mars base.
Kaor, Jim!
All of these are good ideas deserving of being carried out, never mind my impatience. Anderson seems to have thought unmodified women would not be able to have successful pregnancies on the Moon, due to its very low gravity. He also apparently believed Mars gravity was high for women to successfully have children there.
Hope this uploads.
Ad astra! Sean
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