Science fiction involves taking advances in science and technology and using them within a fictional setting. There’s a lot of leeway in there. Hard science fiction uses existing technologies or those conceivably within our grasp and readily explained. A good example would be The Martian by Andy Weir, which explored the scenario of someone being stranded on Mars and what he had to do in order to survive.
All the experiences the main character underwent in The Martian are readily explainable using existing technologies and physics. For instance, when his crewmates went back to go fetch him, they used a “slingshot” maneuver, harnessing Earth’s gravity to whip their spaceship back to Mars. This is a real thing and has been used with space probes in the past, but folks at NASA felt compelled to write a paper outlining the feasibility of the slingshot maneuver as described by Weir in his book. Their conclusion: it would work, with caveats since the trajectory would initially send the spacecraft closer to the sun.
Space operas might use an advanced technology but not bother much with explanations. A good example is the Star Wars lightsaber. Also, most advanced propulsion systems, or warp drives, or anything going faster than light are given lip service explanations in space operas simply because faster than light travel is not possible in our reality as we know it.
Either way, on the spectrum of incorporating advanced technology into their writing, it’s a good idea for fiction authors to stay abreast of current developments. One can peruse scientific journals, of course. But an easier way is to monitor mainstream publications that repackage the research for public consumption. A quick glance at the daily headlines, then delving more into items that catch your eye, is a good way to go in my experience.
In that regard, my contribution to your bag of tricks, should you be so inclined, is the RSS feed, that old-school headline and link tool that fills your inbox with a site’s daily output. There is no faster way to skim for useful nuggets, in my opinion.
As we close out the year, a couple things are coming down the pike in terms of publication. For the next few days, the Steam & Aether Books 1-3 box set is free on Amazon. If you have not yet dived into this now complete series, here’s your chance to grab the first half and then some, gratis.
In addition Apocalypse Code, Star League Assassins Book 6, remains available for pre-order and will be released Christmas Day.
(Image courtesy Microsoft Designer via Bing.)
Thank you for the article, Jaxon. Interesting and easy to understand.
Happy holidays!
Stay blessed.
Meenaz. 🧡🙏