Saturday 13 November 2021

FTL etc

In Poul Anderson's Psychotechnic and Technic Histories, the hyperdrive is invented between installments although they are different versions of a hyperdrive. By contrast, in James Blish's Cities In Flight, several chapters of the opening volume recount the investigations leading to the invention of the "spindizzy" FTL drive and, in Blish's Haertel Scholium, Adolph Haertel discovers anti-gravity in Welcome To Mars, the Haertel overdrive is test-flown in "Common Time" and its temporary successor, the Arpe Drive, is tested in "Nor Iron Bars." Thus, although Anderson presents several scientific rationales for FTL, Blish invests more text in laying a foundation for interstellar travel.

In different works, Blish also imagines, and spends time explaining, other necessary adjuncts of interstellar travel:

anti-agathics;
the germanium-based Oc dollar for interstellar trade;
the instantaneous Dirac transmitter;
pantropy, the science of adapting human beings to other planetary environments;
gnotobiosis, the science of germ-free life.

Thus, readers of Anderson's works might appreciate Blish's alternative takes on similar themes.

7 comments:

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Intriguing concepts by Blish, I agree. But I did not always find the ways he chose for presenting them all that INTERESTING to read. Also, I have strong doubts about the practicality of pantropy. Because I it hard to believe it would be possible to miniaturize humans into water breathers as we see in "Surface Tension."

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

That miniaturization is impossible but other "Adaptations" would be feasible.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

Possibly, yes, along the lines of the Lunarians we see in Anderson's HARVEST OF STARS books.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Or like the other Adapted MEN in Blish's book.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

I can't comment, because "Surface Tension" is the only one of Blish's "Adapted Men" stories I recall reading.

Ad astra! Sean

paulshackley2017@gmail.com said...

Sean,

The other Adapted Men are not microscopic.

Paul.

Sean M. Brooks said...

Kaor, Paul!

That might make these "adapted men" more plausible.

Ad astra! Sean