It seems that Poul Anderson's gyrogravitics and James Blish's "spindizzy" arise out of the same set of observations and speculations about rotation, gravity and magnetism - and I cannot follow the technicalities. However, Blackett's predictions did not pan out and, even if they had done, they might have led to Anderson's control of gravity but there would have been no reason for them also to lead to Blish's faster-than-light drive. See Flying Mountains And Cities. Blish's They Shall Have Stars presents a keen sense of his characters experiencing conceptual and technological upheavals while anticipating consequent social transformations. However, Blish's prologue or prelude volume could be decoupled from the subsequent flying cities series and might instead presage something more like Anderson's terraformed asteroids. However, in any case, neither of these futures has come to be. Gravity remains uncontrolled.
3 comments:
Kaor, Paul!
I agree, as of now, that gravity control is only speculative. But Stirling has commented elsewhere in this blog that antigravity just might be possible. That makes me think some serious scientists are working on this problem. I hope they succeed and we get real "gyrogravitics."
Ad astra! Sean
This
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZvXnO-scmE&t=3s
includes some fun speculation of a spaceship drive that pushes on dark matter to accelerate the spaceship to relativistic speeds.
Kaor, Jim!
Good! That may possibly be what Stirling had in mind. I hope gravity control becomes a reality!
Ad astra! Sea
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