CFI: Canonical List of Sci-Fi "Real" Astronauts

On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 20:55:28 -0500, Kelly McDonald
wrote:


Tranquility Alternative

....Is this a book title? Anyone care to give the quick synop on this
one?

....On a side note, why hasn't David Sander jumped in and added his
obvious contribution?


OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

In article , OM writes
1) As we're looking at fictional characters from "real" history, each
Phantom Astronaut must have had his/her/its career rooted in an AH
timeline where history doesn't deviate too drastically.
.. . .
2) Characters can come from TV, film, books, comics or even the
theater.

3) We're shooting for relatively well to moderately known characters.
The obscure ones we might consider, depending on background.

4) The time frame we're looking at is from 1957 up through whatever
years "The Cape" would have covered (*). Again, as close to OTL as
possible.
.. . .

5) Finally, some background about each PA's career should be included,
as well as a link to a photo if available.


I haven't seen any mention yet of the Apollo and Soyuz crews from
Niven/Pournelle "Lucifer's Hammer". Johnny Baker, Rick Delanty, Pieter
Jakov, Leonilla Malik. I think this qualifies, at least the timeline
doesn't deviate from real life until civilization gets destroyed
suddenly by the comet impact.

And if that qualifies, how about the crew of the improvised warship at
the end of "Footfall", also by Niven/Pournelle? That timeline also
doesn't deviate until the aliens suddenly invade.

If *THOSE* qualify, then I think you may have to include Arthur Dent and
Tricia McMillan.
--
Jonathan Griffitts
AnyWare Engineering Boulder, CO, USA

OM (om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org) writes:
On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 20:55:28 -0500, Kelly McDonald
wrote:

Tranquility Alternative

...Is this a book title?

An SF novel Allen Steele, an alternate history, where a military
base is built on the Moon, then, when the Cold War ends, is
abandoned. Then, a private firm buys it, and an expedition goes
out to disarm the missiles emplaced there. Published in 1996.

The historical divergence point in the book, is a prologue,
where a Nazi space plane, in 1944, is intercepted by a US
one man ship, both in space. Things then go on, from there,
which sets up manned space flight earlier than what we got.
Based on the Von Braun-Colliers model.

Anyone care to give the quick synop on this one?

There you go... :-)

...On a side note, why hasn't David Sander jumped in and added his
obvious contribution?

Vegimite overdose ? g

Andre
--
" I'm a man... But, I can change... If I have to... I guess. "
The Man Prayer, Red Green.

On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 19:36:58 -0700, Jonathan Griffitts
wrote:

I haven't seen any mention yet of the Apollo and Soyuz crews from
Niven/Pournelle "Lucifer's Hammer". Johnny Baker, Rick Delanty, Pieter
Jakov, Leonilla Malik. I think this qualifies, at least the timeline
doesn't deviate from real life until civilization gets destroyed
suddenly by the comet impact.

And if that qualifies, how about the crew of the improvised warship at
the end of "Footfall", also by Niven/Pournelle? That timeline also
doesn't deviate until the aliens suddenly invade.

If *THOSE* qualify, then I think you may have to include Arthur Dent and
Tricia McMillan.

....The first one qualifies, but the second one I've got to think
about. As for the latter two...naah.

OM

--

"No ******* ever won a war by dying for | http://www.io.com/~o_m
his country. He won it by making the other | Sergeant-At-Arms
poor dumb ******* die for his country." | Human O-Ring Society

- General George S. Patton, Jr

In article , OM writes
On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 19:36:58 -0700, Jonathan Griffitts
wrote:

I haven't seen any mention yet of the Apollo and Soyuz crews from
Niven/Pournelle "Lucifer's Hammer". Johnny Baker, Rick Delanty, Pieter
Jakov, Leonilla Malik. I think this qualifies, at least the timeline
doesn't deviate from real life until civilization gets destroyed
suddenly by the comet impact.

And if that qualifies, how about the crew of the improvised warship at
the end of "Footfall", also by Niven/Pournelle? That timeline also
doesn't deviate until the aliens suddenly invade.

If *THOSE* qualify, then I think you may have to include Arthur Dent and
Tricia McMillan.

...The first one qualifies, but the second one I've got to think
about. As for the latter two...naah.

But I was trying to lead you there by slippery-slope reasoning! In all
three cases nothing deviates from the RL timeline until something sudden
and catastrophic. How do you discriminate?

(I love searching for boundary cases.)




I just thought of another set of crews that probably qualify: in John
Varley's recent novel "Red Thunder". That book also includes a NASA
crew and a Chinese crew on competing missions to Mars. I read that book
last month but it was a borrowed copy and I don't remember any of the
crew names.


Do you want to include any of Heinlein's various crews?

How about Chris Godfrey et al from Hugh Walters' (rather lame) books?

I'm tempted to get more obscure than that (short stories by Zenna
Henderson?) but I think I'll stop now.
--
Jonathan Griffitts
AnyWare Engineering Boulder, CO, USA

OM om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org
wrote:

...The first one qualifies, but the second one I've got to think
about. As for the latter two...naah.

I think the most reasonable bound would be *fictional* characters that
rode aboard *real* spacecraft. (I.E. Fictional Apollo, Soyuz, etc...
missions.) That matches the current definition of 'Astronaut'.

D.
--
Touch-twice life. Eat. Drink. Laugh.

-Resolved: To be more temperate in my postings.
Oct 5th, 2004 JDL

Heinlein, 'Man Who Sold The Moon"?

a bunch of Outer Limits and original Twilight Zone episodes?

In article ,
"Jim Oberg" wrote:

Heinlein, 'Man Who Sold The Moon"?

a bunch of Outer Limits and original Twilight Zone episodes?

Well, I considered adding D.D. Harriman myself sometime Saturday
morning then decided it wouldn't count, especially in light of Derek's
restatement of the principal thesis earlier today: fictional persons
flying existing historical craft or offshoots reasonably possible
under various alternative histories.

--
Herb Schaltegger, B.S., J.D.
"Never underestimate the power of human stupidity."
~ Robert A. Heinlein
http://www.angryherb.net

On Mon, 22 Nov 2004 17:22:51 GMT, (Derek Lyons)
wrote:

OM om@our_blessed_lady_mary_of_the_holy_NASA_researc h_facility.org
wrote:

...The first one qualifies, but the second one I've got to think
about. As for the latter two...naah.

I think the most reasonable bound would be *fictional* characters that
rode aboard *real* spacecraft. (I.E. Fictional Apollo, Soyuz, etc...
missions.) That matches the current definition of 'Astronaut'.

I like that idea, but Footfall features a fictional spacecraft with
strap-on non-fictional spacecraft.
http://www.up-ship.com/apr/michael.htm

How about...

Astronaut/Scientist John Crichton, Inventor/pilot of the Farscape Module

Would he count?


Just my $0.02

Space Cadet

derwetzelsDASHmailATyahooDOTcom