Hours before sunrise on Monday morning, United Launch Alliance’s brand spankin’ new Vulcan Centaur rocket is scheduled to make its maiden flight carrying a historic passenger: Peregrine, the first American lunar lander to be sent to the moon in over 50 years. And its mission could mark a turning point in humankind’s exploration of the cosmos. Peregrine is not a NASA spacecraft, but one developed by Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic, a private company. If it survives touchdown, Peregrine will be the first commercial craft to successfully land on the moon — or any planetary body outside of Earth, for that matter. Astrobotic is among a small group of companies that have been selected to carry out lunar deliveries for the space agency over the next few years as part of NASA’s new Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Peregrine Mission 1, expected to launch January 8 at 2:18AM ET, is the first of these operations under a $79.5 million contract with the space agency. But it’s a wholly commercial endeavor, and alongside the five payloads it’ll deliver for NASA to support the upcoming Artemis missions, Peregrine will have cargo for other clients on board too, at a cost of $1.2 million per kilogram (roughly 2.2 pounds). That includes mini rovers and science instruments, collections of art and archival material, a physical “bitcoin” and, controversially, human remains. Peregrine is headed for the moon’s nearside, the hemisphere that is always facing Earth. The 6-foot-tall,... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-01-07 14:00:38 UTC ]
The Arthur C. Clarke Award, which recognizes the best science fiction novel first published in the United Kingdom during the previous year, has released their 2021 shortlist—and for the first time in the award’s 35-year history, the shortlist is entirely made up of debut novels. “As we announce... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-06-30 16:03:59 UTC ]
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Celebrate Pride with science fiction and fantasy reads! We've rounded up some out of this world SFF books with genderfluid characters. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-29 10:36:00 UTC ]
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In his short life, Howard, the master of the sword-and-sorcery novel, produced hard-boiled mysteries, an occult thriller, a science fiction novel and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-06-09 05:37:45 UTC ]
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Announcing the winners of the 56th Annual Nebula Awards, recognizing the best works of science fiction and fantasy published in the US. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-06-07 14:06:29 UTC ]
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Six novels feature characters who hunger for connection so strongly that they transform their environments. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-05-27 13:55:11 UTC ]
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Take a deep dive into fantasy and science fiction awards with Jenn, as she looks at the many out there and why you should care. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-05-27 10:39:00 UTC ]
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Western works of science fiction were not easily accessible in translation in South Korea until recent years. The country was ruled by a succession of military dictatorships until around 1992, and before that time, South Korean culture had been surveilled through a state censorship system that... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-05-27 08:50:01 UTC ]
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Leaving our earthly bodies and living forever as a machine isn't just a thing of modern science fiction. These transhumanist ideas date back to the 18th century. Continue reading at The Conversation
[ The Conversation | 2021-05-17 05:22:55 UTC ]
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The latest installment in MIT’s Twelve Tomorrows series toggles between utopian and dystopian. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-05-10 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Led by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Association, several professional writers' organizations and authors have formed the #DisneyMustPay task force, petitioning Walt Disney Co. to honor author contracts. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-04-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Coalition of author groups call for Disney to pay outstanding royalties owed to writers of novels and comics including Star Wars, Alien and Buffy the Vampire Slayer series it now ownsA task force made up of science fiction and fantasy, romance, crime and horror authors has been formed in an... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-04-28 17:07:11 UTC ]
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It sounds like science fiction but the demonstration by Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company Neuralink is a brain-machine interface in action. Continue reading at Stuff
[ Stuff | 2021-04-15 02:20:13 UTC ]
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Middle grade books in SPAAAAACE! Check out some middle grade science fiction comics set in space, including On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-13 10:36:00 UTC ]
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“The Memory Theater,” “On Fragile Waves” and “Victories Greater Than Death” take readers tumbling through realms and ever stranger stories. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2021-04-13 09:00:08 UTC ]
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Writings by Brenda Peynado, Elizabeth Hand, Izumi Suzuki, Bruce Sterling and more. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-04-06 13:00:00 UTC ]
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If you need a little optimism about the future (and who doesn't?), pick up these hopeful science fiction and fantasy books, including LaGuardia by Nnedi Okorafor and Tana Ford. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-04-02 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Jaeger’s 1920s novels, ‘The Question Mark’ and ‘The Man With Six Senses,’ are H.G. Wellsian works of love and science. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-03-24 16:24:26 UTC ]
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As China’s science fiction authors are elevated to the status of oracles, Qiufan’s career—and his genre’s place in society—have gone through the looking glass. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2021-03-09 12:00:00 UTC ]
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The parasites, hybrids, and vampires of her science fiction make the price of persisting viscerally real. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2021-03-08 11:00:00 UTC ]
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The legacy of science fiction author Octavia Butler is to be explored at the Barbican's New Suns feminist literary festival this month. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-03-04 07:24:31 UTC ]
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