Human life in the Solar System will, of course, have an early phase when everything is new or is being done for the first time followed by many later phases when much has become routine. Sf has to reflect this. For example, Johnny Malone likes the Last Chance bar on Achilles because:
"'Every place else is getting too fantangling civilized, except Venus, and I don't enjoy Venus.'" (I, p. 21)
Robert Heinlein's The Green Hills Of Earth is full of references to firsts and to how things used to be done:
"Things moved fast in those days."
-Robert Heinlein, "The Green Hills of Earth" IN The Green Hills Of Earth (London, 1967), pp. 131-141 AT p. 133.
I thought that the text somewhere said, "Space was changing," but can't find it.
Elderly Miss Stone remembers:
"'...when Luna City was three air-sealed Quonset huts connected by tunnels you crawled through on your knees.'"
-"It's Great To Be Back!", pp. 74-92 AT p. 74.
Young Captains have had five years at Harriman Hall and cadet practice trips but no deep space experience.
And so on.
Addendum: More on Luna City later.
2 comments:
One thing we have learned about the Moon is that it has -lots- of natural tunnels of very considerable size.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
That might be useful when colonies are founded on the Moon. Some of those tunnels might be sealed and turned into both workshops and living quarters for humans.
Ad astra! Sean
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