Kliper: You know, what it really needs are solar sails

MSNBC has an interesting article up by Russian space expert James Oberg on the unveiling of the next-generation Russian spacecraft, which is optimistically named after the famed "clipper ships" of yore:

I find an interesting degree of irony in this picture, as behind the Kliper mockup you can see what remains of the Buran space shuttle, the previous next-generation Russian spacecraft which made several successful test flights prior to the breakup of the Soviet Union, but no manned flights.

I have no idea if Kliper will ever fly, but it's an interesting design. Like some of the designs NASA has toyed with, it's based on the lifting body concept, which I'm convinced will eventually become the preferred approach for orbital vehicles. I'm not convinced this ship can fly as cheaply as the Russians say, but then again it doesn't try to do too much--simply ferry six crew and a modest amount of cargo, as opposed to the U.S. shuttle which tried to do everything, and did everything poorly. The basic approach and design appears sound, but again, the devil's in the details. Venturestar looked great on paper as well, and we all know what a fiasco that one turned out to be.

You can find some interesting schematics and technical specifications for the Kliper at Russian Space Web, and a good visual comparison with the current incarnation of the Soyuz spacecraft at Astronautix.

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I am agog

There exists in this world a Sailor Moon Christmas Song Collection. Oh, my. Sailor Moon had merchendising out the wazoo, so how is it that I never heard of any of this stuff? I'm painfully familiar with Power Rangers, which was the cat's pajamas around the same time.

The good thing about this is that as Sailor Moon is in something of a fallow period now, there isn't much demand for that collectible stuff. Even the Japan-only toys and CDs and whatnot are available pretty cheaply on eBay. Some 11.5-inch Sailor Moon action figures cost only about the same as cheaper Barbies, even with shipping costs. The downside is that there is simply so much of this stuff that I'm doomed if Calista and Keela ever find out about it.

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The new catalogs are here! The new catalogs are here!

Forgive me if I sound like Steve Martin from "The Jerk." But I do have a similar feeling of acknowledgement by the cosmos. I just got an email from Tom Grimes, author of the novels WILL@epicquest.com and City of God, who also happens to be director of the creative writing program at the university, congratulating me on Voices of Vision's listing in the new University of Nebraska Press spring/summmer 2005 print catalog.

And you know what? It's true. I've got my own copy of said catalog sitting right in front of me. I'm looking at my entry on page 16, following a big four-page spread devoted to The Works of Robert E. Howard. Not bad company. Two pages later, there's the more provocatively-titled Venereal Disease and the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Wow. We never studied that in history, that's for sure!

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Sailor Moon mania!

Somewhere along the line, we picked up some kid videos with Sailor Moon trailers tacked onto them, and in due course Calista and Keela became fascinated. They wanted these "Girl Power" super-hero adventures on DVD or tape, so they could watch and enjoy. Well, that was fine with Lisa and myself. I grew up with Starblazers and Speed Racer, so I knew the goofy pleasure of Japanese animation coupled with bad dubbing. And we're going out of our way to give the girls pro-active female role models, so Sailor Moon seemed taylor made. A few months back I picked up the first volume DVD of the edited-for-American-television series, and the girls went nuts for it. Lisa even made a Sailor Moon costume for Calista at Halloween.

Naturally enough, the girls wanted more episodes--particularly keen on seeing more of the other Sailor Scouts, which are featured in the intro, but only Sailor Mercury made it into the first selection of episodes. Last week, for Calista's birthday, I found volume 2 and 5 at Hasting's for $9 each, which gave them a good dose of all five original Sailor Scouts, plus the two talking cats. The general formula of Power Rangers/Battle of the Planets is evident here: Bad guys come up with a bizarre plan to attain their stock macguffin, and after an initial setback, the heroes triumph in the end. Only after watching the last few episodes of volume 5, I could tell there was more of a developing plot arc to these stories. They weren't strictly episodic, even though they'd been edited for American television with some of the more graphic elements obviously chopped out.

I'm passingly familiar with anime, and know how popular Japanese series are usually watered down for American children's programming. I knew Sailor Moon was originally targetted to teens, rather than adolescents. I knew to avoid the "Uncut" versions of the series, which take up far more shelf space in Hastings--there are even boxed sets. I figured that these original versions are indeed better, with more coherent storytelling, but I also know that the girls aren't ready for something aimed at more mature teens. So out of curiosity, I did some googling. Aside from the somewhat disturbing fact that there was recently a live action Sailor Moon series broadcast in Japan, I found two interesting sites with lots of detailed information on just what my girls have gotten involved in: Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon and Sailor Moon Universe.

Holy moley! I knew the original versions would be darker and edgier, but... DAMN! Every single freakin' one of the Sailor Scouts, with the exception of Sailor Moon, gets killed off in an epic battle that spans the final five episodes the series. Two of the Sailor Scouts betray the others and join the enemy! There's blood and carnage and nudity. Sure, good triumphs in the end, and these momentous events are 200 episodes down the line, but man o man, am I ever glad I resisted the temptation to grab that uncut boxed set. In five years, the girls will probably eat that stuff up. I mean, they're pretty rough and tumble girls, and Calista thinks the threatened beheadings in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland are downright silly, but right now, seeing their "Superheroes," who they've really begun to identify with, slaughtered and betrayed by the forces of evil... no thank you. They're not ready to parse that level of complexity, which is probably why they're not all that into Babylon 5 and Farscape yet, either.

It just now struck me that I can hold extended, continuity-laced discussion and debate regarding Sailor Moon in all that series' incarnations, and I've only seen maybe a total of nine 20 minute episodes, total. No movies, no uncut episodes, and no (thank goodness) live action episodes. Damn. Am I pathetic or what?

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Wait 'til next year

I won't deny that I'm disappointed the Aggies lost to t.u. 26-13, especially after Jonte Buhl returned a fumble 98 yard for a touchdown to end the first half, giving A&M a 13-6 lead. But considering the fact the sips fielded a team that's ranked no. 5 in the nation, the game was played in Austin, and the Aggies are just one year removed from last season's disastrous 4-8 mark, I'll say the improvement has been remarkable.

Now we get to sit back and wait to see if the Aggies play in the Holiday Bowl against Arizona State or in the Alamo Bowl against Ohio State. Those are both good bowls against solid opponents. Either should be a good matchup for A&M, more winnable than LSU or Georgia would've been in the Cotton Bowl. I'd rather the team's 7-4 record be a bit better (that Baylor loss still rankles) but winning the final game against such a well-regarded opponent would be a good way to end the season. And next year, with another strong recruiting class on campus, I really like our chances against the sips at Kyle Field...

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Get a jump on that holiday shopping

Created solely with the ulterior motive of promoting my forthcoming book, Voices of Vision, I've created a Voices of Vision shop over at Cafe Press featuring a variety of wares you can order for your very own, to hug and squeeze and call George if you so choose.

I made up these things for myself and my family, because when it comes to self-promotion, I'm a complete and total whore. But then the thought struck me, that perhaps some readers of this blog--or, better yet, my book--aspired to be complete and total promotion whores as well? So, hey, who am I to deny you that chance? And if it makes any difference to you, I've set the cost of all that junk at Cafe Press' base price, which means I'm not making one red cent off of any sale. Ooh! I'll bet you're all tingly now, eh? Well, don't just sit there, buy stuff and promote my book!

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The Yankee Clipper comes home

On this date in 1969, the command module of Apollo 12, Yankee Clipper, splashed down in the Pacific Ocean around 4 p.m. EST, completing a 10-day mission. Commanded by Charles Conrad, with lunar module pilot Alan Bean and command module pilot Richard Gordon, the mission successfully followed up Apollo 11 by landing the lunar module Intrepid at Oceanus Procellarum. They retrieved instruments from the unmanned Surveyor 3 robot craft, which had landed in the area two years earlier. The mission proved accurate, targeted landings were possible on the moon, and also returned 75 pounds of lunar samples to Earth.

I just thought someone ought to make note of it, is all.

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