"The bridge vanished from his eyes. Had it not been for the G-field underfoot, he might have imagined himself floating in space. A crystal night enclosed him, unwinking stars scattered like jewels, the frosty glitter of the Milky Way."
-Poul Anderson, "Starfog" IN Anderson, Flandry's Legacy (Riverdale, NY, 2012), pp. 709-794 AT p. 712.
10 comments:
Paul:
There's a manga and anime, Aria, that has a similar "vanishing of the spaceship" effect during an early scene of the main character arriving at her new home. The ship is coming down into atmosphere, and suddenly it's as if it's just the passengers' seats flying in formation. Much better than having to crane your neck in hope of a good view out an airplane's tiny window.
Consumer advisory: Aria is NOT hard sf; nor is it action-adventure. It's an easygoing "slice-of-life" tale in what appears to be a post-scarcity economy ... so it's not everyone's cup of tea.
David,
As ever, you cite an appropriate parallel.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
And one thing we don't see in "Starfog" are any reflections about how small and insignificant the Commonalty was compared to the rest of the galaxy. A leitmotif we see in practically all of the stories featuring the Terran Empire. The reason for that is obvious, "Starfog" shows the Commonalty during its early, optimistic, expansive, expansionist phase, where everything seems possible. The Commonalty has not yet been traumatized by grave internal crises or a Time of Troubles.
Sean
Incidentally, we're now about able to make this happen, though you need to wear goggles.
I strongly dislike heights and would probably take the goggles back off very quickly.
Kaor, Paul!
But VIEWPORTS or screens of the sort seen in Flandry's space boat "Hooligan" would not bother you?
Sean
Sean,
Not in the same way, when the body is visibly protected inside the vehicle.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Either means of seeing the stars would entrance and fascinate me!
Sean
VR goggles are already being used on some vehicles to give all-round vision. You put the goggles on, and what you see is input from cameras with 360 degree views, processed through a computer to give you the same view you'd have if the body of the vehicle wasn't there.
Dear Mr. Stirling,
I've seen that idea being used in David Drake's Hammer's Slammmers military science fiction.
Sean
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