There are many fictional versions of Tau Ceti. This is the one in Poul Anderson's Starfarers.
The reception of Envoy is more like what would have been expected on Earth in earlier millennia: tumultuous welcome, appearances, interviews, celebrations, lectures, conferences, interpretation of data downloads.
Human beings live not only on the planet Harbor but also throughout the Tau Cetian planetary system. On Harbor, there is still a Kith village on the Isle of Weyan. A woman called Chandor Lia is president of the Duncanian continent and her son, Chandor Barak, becomes director of the new Venture League's academy on the seventh floor of the League's headquarters in the city of Argosy. Like men in Robert Heinlein's Future History and Anderson's Psychotechnic History, Chandor unexpectedly wears a kilt.
Although the League, founded by Captain Nansen of Envoy, attracts financing and runs businesses, its ultimate aim is neither gain nor glory but "...humankind's place in the universe." (p. 466) The League is opposed by those who want the capabilities brought by Envoy to be used profitably at home.
8 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I think Stirling said somewhere that kilts are convenient and practical garments to wear in mild climates. Like that of Unan Besar's in the Technic stories.
And I see nothing wrong with using the new knowledge and capabilities brought by the "Evnoy's" crew for both profit and expanding "...humankind's place in the universe." Iow, my attitude would be more that of Nicholas van Rijn's in the Technic stories.
Ad astra! Sean
Fairly soon, as it becomes much cheaper and easier to launch really large space telescopes, we'll be able to see details of the surface of extrasolar planets. Within a decade or so, via the Starship/SuperHeavy launch system.
Details of the surfaces of extrasolar planets! In my teens, after reading sf, I was surprised and disappointed to learn that it was not known whether there were any extrasolar planets. Any such planets were too small, too far away and not luminous.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling and Paul!
Mr. Stirling: I am very eager to see those powerful space observatories being built! To say nothing of my hopes Elon Musk founds his colony on Mars.
Paul: I knew of that attitude, but it did not really make SENSE to me. I instinctively felt it was absurd to think only one star, out of countless billions of galaxies, would have planets!
Ad astra! Sean
Sean,
It was just stated that we did not know for certain that there were any extra-solar planets.
Also, there was a theory of planetary origin that would have made them rare.
Paul.
It turns out that planets are very common indeed… and that many of the solar systems are very unlike ours in their distributions.
People used to generalize from a single instance: terrestroids close in; gas giants further out.
Kaor, Paul!
Paul: I still think, even so, it was more reasonable than not, to think stars like our Sun would have planets. And astronomers were moving away from older theory of planetary formation you mentioned by or before 1950.
And in his earlier and middle phase works, Anderson generally used that view: rocky planets closer in to a star, gas giants further out. Some of his later works, even posthumous ones like "Pele," shows him using some of the new discoveries made in the 1990's.
Ad astra! Sean
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