by Jeff Cunningham
Ni hao again, fellow travelers, and best wishes for the new year! Today we’ll be introducing you to another one of the four astronauts pegged to be the first crew of the next fleet of American, privately-made spacecraft– meaning if our campaign to urge SpaceX to name their first-of-the-line Dragon capsule ship after Serenity succeeds, it’s entirely possible she could be its captain.
Happy New Year, ladies and menfolk!
by Chris Tobias
2015 was quite a ride. NASA announced the crew that will fly its Commercial Crew missions, SpaceX bounced back from a resupply mission to the ISS that got a little too “interesting” and successfully landed the first stage of a Falcon 9 rocket, and the Crew Dragon was given the green light to break atmo for the first time in 2017. And on the pop culture side of the ‘verse, The Martian made readers and moviegoers want to “science the sh*t” out of things, and a brand new Star Wars film broke both the internet and the box office, which means a whole new generation of young people is now dreaming of one day traveling to a galaxy far, far away.
Almost a year ago to the day, we laid out a plan for how we were going to go for hard-burn in our efforts to convince SpaceX to name their first Crew Dragon Serenity. Now that year is behind us, and it’s worth taking a brief look back at the year that was to see what soared like a leaf on the wind… and what fell out of the sky like it had a Capissan 38 engine!
by Chris Tobias
Even though we haven’t quite closed the books on 2015, here at Take Back the Sky we’re already looking ahead to next year. 2016 will be a pivotal year in our efforts to convince SpaceX to name their first Crew Dragon Serenity. In fact, with the first launch scheduled for 2017, next year will most likely be the year they name the ship. Needless to say (which, as you well know, means we’re going to say it anyway), it’s now more important than ever that we get our message out to the people of the ‘verse, and one of the best ways to do that is by tabling at events that attract folk who genuinely care about space in general and space exploration in particular, as well as fans of science-fiction, especially Browncoats.
Until now, that’s meant traveling to sci-fi and comics conventions, but we’re pleased to announce that we’ve booked our first table at an event that tends toward the hard science end of what we do. On January 15, 2016 Take Back the Sky will have a table at the “21 and Over Rocket Science Night” at the Carnegie Science Center of Pittsburgh from 6-10pm.
by Chris Tobias
Okay, I’m going to admit something that might cause some folk to insist that I should resign my commission as a bona fide geek– I still haven’t seen Star Wars Episode VII: the Force Awakens. Now, before you start questioning my “geekhood,” I’m going to make it clear that I have plans to take my family to see it this Sunday after the Christmas shindigs have all come and gone. So far though it just hasn’t been possible, what with all the holiday preparations, work and my son’s various athletic events. But believe me when I say it hasn’t been for lack of interest.
My friends have all been very kind in that they’ve been extra careful not to spoil anything for me. Okay, maybe it’s because I threatened to visit violence upon anyone who so much as uttered a spoiler from very early on, but whatever the reason, I’ve managed to stay spoiler free. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been getting general assessments of the movie, however. My favorite was the following e-mail, which I got from Take Back the Sky co-founder and fellow blogger Jeff:
HOLY MOTHER OF DUCKLINGS AND ALL HER WACKY NEPHEWS IN A SIXTEEN-PIECE BUCKET YOU NEED TO SEE STAR WARS!
Like a launch in reverse, the Falcon 9 hits the spot, touching down at LZ-1 at Cape Canaveral (image courtesy of Space News).
If you think about it, though, the last sentence of Jeff’s “review” could also apply to SpaceX. No, seriously. This past Monday night we might very well have witnessed the accomplishment with which Elon Musk’s private rocket company effectively saved the American space industry. When the first stage of the Falcon 9 touched down like a downy feather on fire at Cape Canaveral, it didn’t just “wake up” the collective consciousness of the American public to the prospect of future space travel, it made the space industry seem “truly alive” in a way we haven’t felt since the very first launch of Space Shuttle Columbia.
by Jeff Cunningham
“She may not look like much, but she’s got it where it counts, kid. I’ve made a lot of special modifications myself.” — Han Solo
If all goes according to plan, this weekend will mark the return to flight for two iconic Falcons, as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 returns to space for the first time in five months just days after the famous science-fiction spaceship for which it was named makes its debut on movie screens around the world for the first time in over thirty years.
And what’s more, when both ships break atmo, they’ll be doing so with some special upgrades…
by Jeff Cunningham
This past weekend, The Martian debuted in theaters to much fanfare, and the Cliff’s Notes version of this is: it’s not undeserved. The film adaptation of Andy Weir’s runaway bestselling novel tells the harrowing tale of one man’s endurance, ingenuity and determination to survive as a lone astronaut accidentally left for dead on the surface of Mars. With limited food and supplies and no way to reach Earth, astronaut Mark Watney must make equipment meant to last only 30 days keep him alive for over a year until the next crew can reach him, using only his wits. It’s a tale of survival against impossible odds, like Apollo 13— or, for that matter, the Firefly episode “Out of Gas.” Coincidentally, one of the NASA managers tasked with coordinating the interplanetary rescue effort is played by Chewitel Ejiofor, better known to fans of Serenity as The Operative.
Here’s the rare instance where you’d actually WANT that “warship in deep orbit”…
The film itself has been pretty well hyped by 21st-Century FOX and eagerly awaited by the novel’s many fans. The good news is, it essentially lived up to said hype. Being an avid reader myself, comparisons to the book are inevitable. In this case, though, we have one of the rare instances where a film adaptation may not necessarily improve on its source material, but does an excellent job of bringing it to life and telling it in a way that novels often can’t.
by Jeff Cunningham
Ni hao, travellers! With the recent announcement that NASA has found evidence that water still flows on the red planet, and with the highly anticipated film The Martian hitting theaters in the United States, what better occasion can you ask for for the return of The Science of Firefly?
Today, we will indeed be looking towards Mars as a prototype for the very colonization and terraforming techniques that we’re told occurred on many planets and moons in Firefly‘s ‘verse to create the setting for the show and its follow-up film, Serenity.
For those of you just joining us, Take Back the Sky is a campaign by fans of the cult hit sci-fi show Firefly to write letters and sign petitions to SpaceX to name their first manned spacecraft– called the Dragon— after Serenity, the ship featured in the show. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has come to be known for being outspoken about his intent for the Dragon to be the key trailblazer, a 21st-century Mayflower, in a larger movement to found a permanent, independent colony. Scientists, futurists, politicians, and all manner of talking heads can’t “offer comment” loud or long enough– some saying it’s a brilliant plan, others naysaying and decrying the dangers involved (which don’t affect them, if you think about it. Just sayin’…).
Graphic– and vision for the future– courtesy of SpaceX.
In this installment of The Science of Firefly, we’ll tackle the ultimate question: Is it possible? Could human beings found a permanent settlement on another world within our lifetimes and eventually transform it to become like Earth, just like many a science-fiction novel or film? Or does the required technology and knowledge to achieve such a thing still elude us?
It’s a pretty tall order any way you look at it. The good news is, we can say that the short answer is “yes.” Here at Take Back the Sky, however, we refuse to leave matters like that, so you’ll also be getting the somewhat longer answer. To treat it properly, though, I propose we break the timeline down into three phases:
by Chris Tobias
At 4:21am (EST) this Wednesday, fall will officially arrive in this hemisphere. Fall means a lot of things to a lot of people. Students (and teachers) go back to school. Football season (both the American version and the one that fits the rest of the world’s definition) is in high gear again. Our favorite TV shows (at least the ones that weren’t unjustly cancelled) are returning. It’s a time for jeans-and-sweater weather, and of gathering around the fire pit for stories and roasted marshmallows after dark. Halloween will be here before you know it.
In my part of the country, one of the things that makes fall so special is the turning of the leaves. By mid-October, the local landscape will be awash with myriad shades of gold, orange and red that will mix with the green of those few trees that refuse to let go of summer’s standard hue. It’s a gorgeous sight, and one that’s always made me reluctant to relocate from this little patch of the ‘verse in Western Pennsylvania where I was born and raised.
As a Browncoat, it’s impossible for me to talk about leaves without thinking of the motion picture Serenity. Anyone who’s seen the movie (and if you’re reading this on our website, I assume you have) will easily recall Wash’s mantra from the climactic battle between the Reavers and the Alliance, in which Serenity’s pilot deftly maneuvers the transport ship so as evade the ships from both sides that would prefer to see Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew end up as itty bitty shards. Much to the shock and dismay of just about everyone who sees the film for the first time, that same mantra turns out to be the last words of Serenity’s beloved pilot:
Despite the fact that those words are associated with the death of Hoban Washburne, they have nonetheless been embraced by Browncoats everywhere, perhaps because they also speak to the indomitable spirit of the ship and its crew, a trait that fans of Firefly tend to share. They have inspired hundreds of memes and enough fan art to fill Serenity’s cargo bay. And back in 2013, they inspired us to start a unique campaign to help convince SpaceX to name their first Crew Dragon after Joss Whedon’s Serenity.
by Chris Tobias
In less than 48 hours, we’ll debut a brand new panel at Wizard World Pittsburgh Comic Con. The panel, entitled Browncoats in Space: the New Space Age and a Real-Life Spacecraft Named Serenity, will take place this Friday, September 11 at 5pm in Room 304 of the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in downtown Pittsburgh.
Our previous panel (One Small Step for Fans: Browncoats in Space) focused on how mankind’s fascination with the stars inspired the fantastic ideas of science-fiction, which in turn inspired new generations to explore space. This new panel, however, will focus on recent developments in the world of private spaceflight through NASA’s Commercial Crew Project, with an emphasis on SpaceX’s Dragon V2.
Of course one thing this new panel will have in common with its predecessor is a discussion of the various ways in which Browncoats around the world can help convince SpaceX to name the first of its manned Dragon spacecraft after Joss Whedon’s Serenity. We’ll discuss our letter writing campaign to SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk and president Gwynne Shotwell, as well as our new online petition asking SpaceX to announce their manned Dragon’s name live at San Diego Comic-Con in July of 2016. With the fall season just a couple weeks away, we’ll also revisit our “Leaf on the Wind” campaign, which encourages Browncoats who may not feel comfortable writing a letter to show their support for the name Serenity simply by mailing a leaf to Elon Musk and/or Gwynne Shotwell at SpaceX.
If time permits, we’ll field questions from the audience as well, and we may even have a prize or two to give away.
So if you’re headed to Wizard World Pittsburgh this Friday, be sure to stop in and listen to our new presentation. As always, we welcome your feedback and appreciate your support.
Peace, love and rockets…
by Chris Tobias
For nearly three years, we’ve had a petition on MoveOn.org calling on SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk to name his company’s first manned spacecraft after Joss Whedon’s Serenity. In that time, the petition amassed a little over 2,200 signatures, a number that was somewhat lower than we had initially hoped to achieve. As you may recall, we already discussed a number of possible reasons for that in our June 17 blog entry about the petition. In the end, however, we decided that perhaps it was time to close the MoveOn.org petition down and send its signatures on their way to SpaceX. On August 30, we did just that.
Before anyone gets the wrong impression, this doesn’t mean we’re giving up on convincing Elon Musk and SpaceX to name their first Dragon V2 Serenity. In fact, quite the opposite is true. We are pleased to announce that we shut the old petition down to make way for a newer petition that is hosted on a newer platform and more accurately reflects what we currently know about the state of SpaceX’s involvement in NASA’s Commercial Crew Project. And what’s more, this new petition raises the stakes in what is likely to be the final year in the development of SpaceX’s manned Dragon– a year that should culminate in the naming of the ship.
Our new online petition, which you can find at Change.org, not only asks Elon Musk and SpaceX to name their first Dragon V2 Serenity, but also calls upon Elon Musk to announce to the world that the ship will indeed have that name in person at next year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, California! Continue Reading
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