Standing up for science

The popular culture of today’s youth has focused on witches, wizards, hobbits and comic-book superheroes long enough. It’s time for science to reclaim its role as a source of inspiration. There are signs that this is starting to happen: not just the popularity of the film Gravity, but the explosion in recent years of TV documentaries about science, and space … >>

Remembering Albert

Yesterday was a time to reflect on a pioneering achievement. Sixty-five years ago, on June 11, 1948, the world’s first astronaut traveled to an altitude of 63 kilometers aboard an American V-2 rocket. His name was Albert. He was a rhesus monkey. Albert really was a pioneer. He was the first living organism to have flown to a significant altitude … >>

The day the Visitors came

Where were you the day the aliens arrived? If you watch the TV series V, which starts this Monday night on Pro7, you’ll have the answer. The aliens in the series cordially call themselves the Visitors. They cure disease and give teenagers rides in their space shuttle. They ask only for some water and minerals to take home with them. … >>

Welcome to tomorrow

I grew up during the golden age of science fiction. Every day, my friends and I would turn on the TV and see what the world would look like in the far-off 21st century, when we’d be in the prime of our lives. There would be colonies in space, encounters with aliens (both friendly and unfriendly), robots either doing our … >>

The Peace Corps in outer space

Going to the movies this weekend will take us back 40 years, and ahead 240 years, in the new, “reimagined” Star Trek film. In 1969, poor ratings caused the demise of the original television series. But the Star Trek franchise gained so much momentum over the years that it’s now unstoppable. Why is it so popular? One word: optimism. Unlike … >>