Men of Good Will

Men of Good Will

By Ben Bova

“Americans and Russians,” the UN man went on, “have fired at each other from orbiting satellite vehicles. They have exchanged shots at both the North and South Poles. Career diplimats have scuffed like prizefighters in the halls of the United Nations building -”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Oh, yes. We have kept it quite, of course. But the tensions are becoming unbearable. Everywhere on Earth the two sides are armed to the teeth and on the verge of disaster. Even in space they fight. And yet, here on the moon, you and the Russians live side by side in peace. We must know how you do it!”

Patton grinned. “You came on a very appropriate day, in that case. Well, let’s see now… how to present the picture. You know that the environment here is extremely hostile: airless, low gravity.

“The environment here on the moon,” Torgeson objected, “is no more hostile than that of orbiting satellites. In fact, you have some gravity, solid ground, large buildings – many advantages that artificial satellites lack. Yet there has been fighting aboard the satellites – and not on the moon. Please don’t waste my time with platitudes. This trip is costing the UN too much money. Tell me the truth.”

Patton nodded. “I was going to. I’ve checked the information sent up by Earthbase: you’ve been cleared by the White House, the AEC, NASA and even the Pentagon.

Remembering men of good will. Photo by Elena

“So?”

“Okey. The plain truth of the matter is…” A soft chime from a small clock on Patton’s desk interrupted him. “Oh. Excuse me.”

Torgeson sat back and watched as Patton carefully began clearing off all the articles on his desk: the clock, calendar, phone, IN/OUT baskets, tobacco can and pipe rack, assorted papers and reports – all neatly and quickly placed in the desk drawers. Patton then stood up. Walked to the filing cabinet, and closed the metal drawers firmly. He stood in the middle of the room, scanned the scene with apparent satisfaction, and then glanced at his wristwatch.

“Okey”, he said to Torgeson. “Get down on your stomach.”

“What?”

“Like this,” the colonel said, and prostrated himself on the rubberized floor.

Torgeson stared at him.

“Come on! There’s only a few seconds.”

Risk Asessment

Risk Asessment

By Ben Bova

“What’s thirty tons of antiprotons equal to in energy potential?” Flagg asked.

Instantly, Alphe One calculated, “Approximately one million megatons of energy.”

“And if that much energy explodes?”

Alphe One was incapable of showing emotion, of course. But it hesitated, just for a fraction of a second. The silence was awesome. Then the robot’s head swivelled slowly toward Delia, levelling its dark glassy optical sensors at her.

“An explosion of that magnitude could perturb the orbit of the Moon.”

“It could cause a moonquake that would destroy Clavius, at the very least,” Flagg said. “Smash Selene and even Copernicus, wouldn’t it?”

“Indeed,” said Alpha One. The single word stung Delia like a whip.

“Now do you see why she’s got to be stopped?”

“Indeed,” the robot repeated.

Delia shook her head, as if to clear away the pain. “But there won’t be any explosion,” she insisted. “I know what I’m doing. All the calculations show -”

“The risk is not allowable,” Alpha One said firmly. “You must stop your experiment.”

“I will not!” Delia snapped.

Risk Assessment. Photo by Elena

It took Alpha One less than three milliseconds to check this new data once again, and then compare it against the safety regulations that ruled every decision-making tree, and still again check it against the consequences of Delia’s project if it should be successful. Yet although it weighed the probabilities and made its decision that swiftly, it did not speak.

Alpha One had learned one thing in its years of dealing with humans: the less they are told, the less they have to argue about.

And the tow humans already had plenty to argue over.

Running a hand through the flowing waves of his golden hair, Flagg grumbled, “You’re not fit to be a triumvir.”

“Running a hand through the flowing waves of his golden hair, Flagg grumbled, “You’re not fit to be a triumvir.”

“I was elected just the same as you were,” Delia replied tartly.

“Your father bought votes. Everybody knows it.” Delia’s own temper surged. Leaning across the triagular table to within inches of Flagg’s nose, she said, “Then everybody’s wrong! Daddy wouldn’t spend a penny on a vote.”

“No,” he snarled, “he spent all his money on this crazy starship, and you’re spending still more on an experiment that could kill everybody on the Moon!”

To Touch a Star

To Touch a Star

By Ben Bova

Aleyn’s heart nearly stopped.

« That’s not a star! » he shouted.

« Scorpio 18881R2434, » said the comm screen, after a hesitation that was unnoticeable to human senses.

« It can’t be! »

« Navigation and tracking programs agree. Specturm matches. It is our destination srat, » the screen insisted.

Aleyn stared at the image a moment longer, then bolted to the hatch and down the short corridor that led to the ship’s bridge.

The bridge screens were larger. But they all showed the same thing. Optical, infrared, radar, high-energy, and neutrino sensors all displayed a gigantic, perfectly circular metal sphere.

Aleyn sagged into the only chair on the bridge, oblivious to the slight chill against his naked flesh until the chair adjusted its temperature.

« We thougt it was a star, » he murmured to no one. « We thought it was a star. » Aleyn Arif Belierophontes, son of the director of the Imperial Obseervatory and her consort and therefore distrusted by Admiral Kimon, the emperor’s chief of astroengineering; betrayed by Selwyn, his best friend; exiled to a solitary expedition to a dying star – Aleyn sat numb and uncomprhending, staring at a metal sphere the size of a star.

No. Bigger.

« What’s the radius of the object? »

To touch a star. Photo by Elena

Numbers sprang up on every screen, superimposed on the visual display, as the computer’s voice replied, « The hundred seventeen point zero nine eight million kilometers. »

«Two hundred million kilometers,” Aleyn echoed. Then he smiled. “A metal sphere four hundred million kilometers across.” He giggled. A sphere with the radius of a water-bearing planet’s orbit.” He laughed. “A Dyson sphere! I’ve found a Dyson sphere!”

His laughter became raucous, uncontrolled, hysterical. He roared with laughter. He banged his fists on the armrests of his chair and threw his head back and screamed with laughter. Tears flowed down his cheeks. His face grew red. His breath rasped in his throat. His lungs burned. He did not stop until the chair, reating to an override command from the computer’s medical program, sprayed him with a soporific and he lapsed into unconsciousness.

A thousand lightyears away, scientists and engineers of the Hundred Worlds labored heroically to save the Earth from doom. The original home planet of the Empire was in danger from its own Sun. A cycle of massive flares would soon erupt across the Sun’s normally placid face. Soon, that is, in terms of a star’s gigayear lifetime: ten thousand years, give or take a few millennia. Too feeble to be of consequence in the lifespan of the star itself, the flares nonetheless would casually boil away the air and oceans of Earth, leaving nothing behind except a blackened ball of rock

The Northern Lights

The Northern Lights

Iceland has plenty of natural attractions – glaciers, waterfalls, and black sand beaches – but one of the most popular sights in Iceland is not even on land, it's up in the sky. The aurora borealis, or the Northern Lights are wisps of colored lights that sometimes stretch across the arctic sky and if you get to see them, watching these sheets and ribbons of light glide slowly around the winter night sky is an ethereal experience.

The lights may look magical but the science behind them is even more fascinating. These soft lights we admire here on earth are caused by great solar storms, tearing across the sun's surface. Particles released from the sun during these massive storms travel through space and when they hit earth's atmosphere, they burn up.

The colour of the lights depends on where in the earth's atmosphere the particle's burn up and they can be purple, pink, or even red, although the most common shade of the Northern Lights is green.

The Northern Lights only appear around the magnetic poles of the earth so Iceland and Northern Scandinavia are the best places to see them. It's not the only places to see them though, the Northern lights have a southern counterpart known as the Southern lights or aurora australis.

Tips and Tricks to See the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon and they don't appear on a fixed schedule. Also, because the lights appear high in the sky, they can be covered by clouds. A Northern Lights sighting is never guaranteed but if you follow these tips and tricks, you can maximize your chances to see them.

Wait until dark

The Northern Lights are not very bright and certainly not bright enough to outshine the sun. You have to wait until it's dark to go out and hunt for the Northern Lights, but the good news is, during winter in Iceland, you don't have to wait that long.

(… and that means no Norther Lights in the summer)

Icelandic winters are long and dark but during the summer, the sun hardly sets. This means that during the summer, it never really gets dark enough for the Northern Lights to appear.

Iceland. Photo by Olga

Get out of town

As we've mentioned, the Northern Lights aren't bright at all, so if you want to see them at their best, getting out of the city lights is key. On a good night, you can still see the lights within the city limits but the light pollution from the city will always dull their brightness a little.

Make sure the sky is clear

The lights appear high in the sky, which means that clouds can cover the view of the lights from the ground. It's best to look for them on a clear, or at least partially clear night, just like the stars.

Check the aurora forecast

If you want to avoid disappointment, check out the aurora forecast published by the Iceland meteorological institution. They predict the cloud cover and the level of aurora activity. They're not infallible but the following the forecast is a good rule of thumb.

Consider taking a tour

If you don't have a car, taking a tour can be a convenient way to get out of the city lights. Most tour companies offer Northern lights tours by bus, boat or jeep and if you don't see any lights you can take the tour again the next night for free.

Bring a camera

The Northern Lights are unforgettable but you still might want to take some photos as souvenirs of your trip to Iceland. Don't forget to bring your camera but be aware that taking great photos of the Northern Lights can be tricky. Ask your guide for help.

Wear warm clothes and be patient

The Northern Lights are a natural phenomenon so they're not dependable. Sometimes they come out early in the evening, clear and bright, but sometimes they don't appear until the middle of the night or just appear as a blurry fog of lights. Bring a jacket and some mittens and have patience.

How to Photograph the Northern Lights

The Northern Lights are faint and far away, so even if you see them clearly with your own eyes, they probably won't show up on a photo unless you follow these tips and tricks. A good camera is the best tool to get the photo you want but if you've got a smartphone, it'll do. Most newer smartphones have an advanced option, allowing you to adjust the settings for your aurora photo shoot.

Bring a tripod

A tripod or something to keep your camera level is essential to get a clear photo of the Northern Lights. You need a long exposure time to capture as much of the lights as you can and if your camera moves even a little, your photo will be blurry.

Set your aperture low...

The aperture dictates how much of your lens is covered. You want it as open as possible to capture as much of the lights as you can.

… Your ISO high

The ISO dictates how sensitive the camera is to the light. Usually if you set it too high, the photo will be grainy but in the darkness of night, it's essential. Start at 800 and adjust it until you find the setting you like.

… and set a long shutter speed

This controls how long the lens is exposed, taking in light. You need some time to capture the elusive Northern Lights, so try 10 sec to begin with and then adjust it to your liking.

Try out these setting to begin with.

Amorality Tale

Amorality Tale

By Ben Bova

Only the fact that the Piece Movement spread with the speed of light through Europe, Asia, and Africa has saved our beloved Unted States from total annihilation at the hands of the Godless Communists. Western Europe fell into a frenzy of lust, especially Italy, where the leaning Tower of Pisa finally toppled, but no one noticed or cared. The Pope ordered the Vatican sealed off from all outside contact. No one has heard a word from the Vatican for four months now, although there are rumors that certain of the younger Cardinals have been seen along the Via Venetto, dressed in mufti.

The Warsaw Pact nationa quickly fell to the Piece Movement, Poland being the first to succumb. Accordig to some journalists, the Movement averted an immenent Russian invastion and thus saved the Poles from further repression. Martial law collased overnight (literally) in Poland, and the Russian troops assigned to crush Polish resistance were soon grappling with other matters. Tanks became bordellos, heavy artillery pieces became symbols of the new Movement, and were soon decorated wit flowers by smiling Polish women and laughing Russian soldiers.

Despite every precaution, Russia itself fell to the onslaught. Reliable intelligence reports confirm that the sudden deaths of eight Politburo members (average age, seventy-three) can be attributed to the Movement. The USSR is in chaos, but the Russians do not seem to care.

Amorality Tale. Photo: Elena 

Even China, long a model of organized patience, has gone wild. Someone in Beijing found a maxim of Cunfucius, which, roughly translated, means, « If you can’t beat them, join them. » Seismographs as far away as San Francisco ahve borne vivid testimony to the vigor with which a billion Chinese are copulating.

Australia was the lone holdout, and I must confess that for several weeks I was tempted to emigrate Down Under. Separated from the rest of the world by the purifying ocean, this huge island continent remained steadfasty immune to the Piece Movement, mainly (I am told) because the average Australian male is inordinately shy of women and prefers to drink beer in the company of his fellow men, talkig about sports rather than sex.

Unfortunately, a female American tourist – no doubt an agent provocateur – found the chink in the Aussie armor. She put the proposition in sporting terms. She bet the captain of the Australian Americas Cup yacht crew that his team could not equal the endurance record set recently by the crew of the American yacht, Pulsar. The Aussies accepted her challenge, athough no one seems to know if they won the bet or not. No one has seen any of them since that fateful day.

However, once the average Australian male understood that the national honor was at stake, they leaped into the action with typical Australian enthusiasm. Sales of Foster’s Lager have fallen nearly to zero, and Australian women are raising funds to erect a monument to the Unknown American Tourist