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Index to our previous shows
December 25, 2008 - Christmas Readings
October 31, 2008 - Halloween Readings
September 8, 2008 - Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson
April 11, 2008 - Dr. Alan Binder
Shows from 2007
Shows from 2006
Shows from November/December, 2005
Shows from September/October, 2005
Shows from July/August, 2005
Shows from June, 2005
Shows from May, 2005
Shows from April, 2005
Shows from February, 2005
Shows from January, 2005
Shows from December, 2004
Shows from November, 2004
Shows from October, 2004
Shows from September, 2004
Shows from August, 2004
Shows from June, 2004
Shows from May, 2004
Shows from April, 2004
Shows from March, 2004
Shows from February, 2004
Shows from January, 2004
Shows from December, 2003
Shows from November, 2003
Shows from October, 2003
Shows from September, 2003
Shows from August, 2003
Shows from July, 2003
Shows from June, 2003
Shows from May, 2003
Shows from February, 2003
Shows from January, 2003
Shows from December, 2002
Shows from November, 2002
Shows from October, 2002
Shows from September, 2002
Shows from August, 2002
Shows from July, 2002
Shows from June, 2002
Shows from May, 2002
Shows from April, 2002
Shows from March, 2002
Shows from February, 2002
Shows from January, 2002
Shows from December 2001
Shows from November, 2001
Shows from October, 2001
Shows from September, 2001
Shows from August, 2001
Shows from July, 2001
Shows from June, 2001
Shows from May, 2001
Shows from April, 2001
Shows from March, 2001
Shows from February, 2001
Shows from January, 2001
Shows from November - December, 2000
Shows from September - October, 2000
Shows from July - August, 2000
On Thursday - December 25th, 2008 - Hour 25 brought you a selection of holiday readings going from traditional tales of kindness and generosity to stories of trolls and ghostly holiday adventures. So sit back, pour yourself a tall glass of eggnog and enjoy the season and the company of your loved ones - they are the most wondrous gift that you can get at any time of the year.
Tonight's stories will include;
The Cat on the Dovrefell by Peter Christen Asbjornen and Jorgen Moe, in which trolls learn why they should mind their manners during the Christmas season.
Cosette by Victor Hugo, a tale of kindness and generosity on Christmas eve.
The Ghost of Christmas Eve by J.M. Barrie, wherein a rational explanation is offered for a holiday haunting, but is that the proper explanation?
The Festival of St. Nicholas by Mary Mapes Dodge, where children are visited by St. Nicholas and receive an accounting for their behavior in the previous year.
Listen to this week's show
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Click here to listen to the entire show. {41:15}
Or
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- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {4:00}
- Click here for Warren's reading of The Cat on the Dovrefell by Peter Christen Asbjornsen and Jorgen Moe. {3:44}
- Click here for Suzanne's reading of Cosette by Victor Hugo. {6:43}
- Click here for Warren's reading of The Ghost of Christmas Eve by J.M. Barrie. {9:54}
- Click here for Suzanne's reading of The Festival of St. Nicholas by Mary Mapes Dodge. {11:53}
- Click here for our Christmas wishes for everyone. {0:41}
- Click here for Christmas greetings from the first astronauts to travel to another world. {2:01}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:38}
- For more Hour 25 holiday readings you can listen to our Christmas shows from 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004,
2003, 2002,
2001 and 2000.
- And to add some music to your holiday season you might want to listen to our previous show featuring holiday carols with a Lovecraftian twist.
- Click here to hear our current show.
- Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
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If you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 Web Site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.
Links for more information relating to this week's show
Space News - Dawn - A Mission to the Asteroids
Updates and additional information about the mission of the Dawn spacecraft can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL or at this NASA Web Site.
Additional information about asteroids can be found at the NASA Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Web Site.
Dawn is a part of the Discovery Program of deep space missions. Information about Dawn and other missions can be found at the Discovery Program Web Site.
Space News - Mars
Much information about the Phoenix mission to Mars can be found at this JPL Web Site or at this Web Site from the University of Arizona or this NASA Web Site. Additional information about various past NASA missions can be found here.
For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University. You can also get information about the MER mission by reading the News Updates posted by Dr. Steve Squyres, the project's Principal Investigator.
To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.
Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA
Web Site.
The University of Arizona Web Site for the imaging system used to take the Huygens pictures of Titan has much information about how they were obtained and processed as well as a collection of processed and unprocessed images.
The Huygens probe carried a microphone and recorded the various sounds that it heard while descending to the surface of Titan. You can listen to those sounds at this Web Page sponsored by the Planetary Society.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
The Space Today Web Site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now Web Site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch Web Site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
ISS News
The Florida Today Web Site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station Web Page or the Boeing Web Page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link Web Site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA Web Page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
Space Related Organizations
If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration of the Solar System and has a wealth of information for its members and others.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note Web Pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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Halloween Readings
On Friday - October 31st, 2008 - Hour 25 brought you readings of Halloween stories featuring classic stories of the supernatural.
So turn down the lights and get comfortable while we tell you about things strange and unearthly.
Just try not to think about those things that are moving about outside your window in the Autumn's chill air.
There's nothing there.
Really.
Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti
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Goblin Market is one of the most well known works of the Pre-Raphaelite poet Christina Rossetti. Her brothers William and Dante were acclaimed Pre-Raphaelite artists and it was Dante who created the famous illustrations that accompany the story.
In this story two sisters are tempted each morning and night by goblins who offer them luscious fruits and treats.
But when one sister samples those delights she discovers that there is a dreadful cost for eating the fruits offered by the Goblin Market. It falls to her sister to try and save her, but this act of sisterly love may also carry a fatally high price.
Keep this cautionary tale in mind as you go out and about on All Hallows Eve. It is the original "Trick or Treat" story.
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An Adventure of the Deep Waters by William Hope Hodgson
The ocean at night is a place of mystery and wonder. Standing on the deck of a ship surrounded by nothing but the the blackness of sea and sky makes one keenly aware of just how small we humans are on a cosmic scale.
To find stories that capture this feeling, you need look no farther than to the writings of William Hope Hodgson. He combined his experiences at sea with a wide ranging imagination and created tales of mystery and imagination that are especially chilling because they are anchored in reality.
Tonight's offering brings you a tale where sailors encounter strange waters and a malevolent creature that threatens to pluck them into the deep - one by one.
But don't be to scared. Such creatures don't exist.
Or do they?
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Listen to this show
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Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:05:07}
Or
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- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {1:35}
- Click here for Suzanne's reading of Goblin Market.{28:12}
- Click here for my reading of An Adventure of the Deep Waters. {32:39}
- Click here for the show's closing.{2:00}
- For more readings and interviews you can listen to our Halloween shows from
2007,
2006, 2005, 2004, 2003,
2001 and
2000.
- And to add some music to your holiday season you might want to listen to our previous show featuring holiday carols with a Lovecraftian twist.
- Click here to hear our current show.
- Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
|
If you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 Web Site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.
Links for more information relating to this week's show
Halloween Clipart and More
Below are some of the sources I have found for Halloween clipart, fonts and other related items.
The Halloween Cavern of Clipart
Halloween Clipart and images
Anne's Halloween Gifs
Scary Stuff for downloading
Halloween Caverns Of Blood
Free Halloween Backgrounds and Graphics
Haunted Wisconsin - Clipart & Fonts
Space News - Dawn - A Mission to the Asteroids
Updates and additional information about the mission of the Dawn spacecraft can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL or at this NASA Web Site.
Additional information about asteroids can be found at the NASA Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Web Site.
Dawn is a part of the Discovery Program of deep space missions. Information about Dawn and other missions can be found at the Discovery Program Web Site.
Space News - Mars
Much information about the Phoenix mission to Mars can be found at this JPL Web Site or at this Web Site from the University of Arizona or this NASA Web Site. Additional information about various past NASA missions can be found here.
For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University. You can also get information about the MER mission by reading the News Updates posted by Dr. Steve Squyres, the project's Principal Investigator.
To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.
Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA
Web Site.
The University of Arizona Web Site for the imaging system used to take the Huygens pictures of Titan has much information about how they were obtained and processed as well as a collection of processed and unprocessed images.
The Huygens probe carried a microphone and recorded the various sounds that it heard while descending to the surface of Titan. You can listen to those sounds at this Web Page sponsored by the Planetary Society.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
The Space Today Web Site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now Web Site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch Web Site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
ISS News
The Florida Today Web Site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station Web Page or the Boeing Web Page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link Web Site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA Web Page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
Space Related Organizations
If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration of the Solar System and has a wealth of information for its members and others.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note Web Pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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On Monday - September 8th, 2008 - Hour 25 brought you our interview with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson.
Over 20 years ago Frank Herbert published Chapterhouse: Dune, a story that was building to a climax that would answer the many questions he had raised starting in 1965 with Dune. The book ended on a cliff hanger that left fans in suspense over how the multiple questions and plot lines would be resolved. But Frank Herbert's untimely death in 1986 prevented him from answering those questions.
For many years it appeared that we would never get a resolution to those questions. Then a couple of years ago Brian Herbert discovered his father's notes on what he planned to do with the books that would follow Chapterhouse: Dune. And with that Brian and Kevin were able to go to work on the book that they had thought they would write when they first started to write new books set in the Dune universe over ten years ago.
The wait was long, but well worth it. Their two books that close the Dune series - Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune - bring together plot threads that have been under development for decades and answer many of the questions that fans of the series have been asking. {Though like all good books, these books raise new questions and pose new problems.} But now we can all see where Frank Herbert intended for the Dune books to go. It has been a long ride, but in the end quite satisfying.
Brian and Kevin join us tonight to talk about this and their other Dune books. This marks the end of one phase of their work in the Dune universe but as you'll discover when you hear the interview there's lots more to come. I can hardly wait to see where they are going to be taking us as they continue to expand Frank Herbert's Dune universe.
Brian Herbert (on the left) and Kevin J. Anderson (on the right)
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The Phoenix Mars Lander Mission
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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter managed to get one of the most dramatic images of the space age when it photographed the Phoenix Mars Lander as it descended toward the Martian surface. Although it looks like the Phoenix lander was going into a large crater, this is just an optical illusion caused by the perspective of the image. That large crater just happened to be positioned behind the lander as it fell toward the Martian surface.
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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Later the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter followed up that picture with an image showing the Phoenix Lander sitting on the Martian surface along with its parachute and heat shield.
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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Here we have a panorama of the Martian surface taken by the Phoenix Lander.
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Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
And finally here's a picture of the robotic arm on the Phoenix Lander bringing a sample of soil to the craft's instruments for analysis.
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Mars Express Observes Phobos
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Credits: ESA/ DLR/ FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
Here you can see a high resolution image of Phobos taken recently by Mars Express. Studies of this Martian moon, by this and other spacecraft, are paving the way for Phobos to become the gateway to Mars and beyond. If the current indications are correct then Phobos will be able to provide the oxygen, hydrogen and other resources needed for life support and propulsion as we venture deeper into our Solar System.
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Credits: ESA/ DLR/ FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
And here is that picture of Phobos processed into a 3D image, just be sure to get out your red/blue glasses when viewing this image.
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The Rosetta Spacecraft Flyby of Asteroid Steins
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Credits: ESA ©2008 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA
/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
This series of images of asteroid Steins was taken from a distance of about 800 kilometers. At the top of the asteroid you can see a crater that is about 1.5 kilometers in diameter. Scientists suspect that if the impacting object which created that crater had been any larger then it would have blown Steins apart. As it is, Steins survived the impact to be a 5 kilometer diameter 'diamond in the sky'.
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Credits: ESA ©2008 MPS for OSIRIS Team MPS/UPD/LAM/IAA
/RSSD/INTA/UPM/DASP/IDA
I hope you didn't put away your 3D glasses, 'cause here's a 3D image of asteroid Steins.
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The 2008 Hugo Awards
The winners for this year's Hugo awards, presented at Denvention 3, are shown below. {Additional information about this year's awards can be found here or here.}
Best Novel: The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon (HarperCollins; Fourth Estate)
Best Novella: “All Seated on the Ground” by Connie Willis (Asimov’s Dec. 2007; Subterranean Press)
Best Novelette: “The Merchant and the Alchemist’s Gate” by Ted Chiang (Subterranean Press; F&SF Sept. 2007)
Best Short Story: “Tideline” by Elizabeth Bear (Asimov’s June 2007)
Best Related Book: Brave New Words: The Oxford Dictionary of Science Fiction by Jeff Prucher (Oxford University Press)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form: Stardust Written by Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn, Based on the novel by Neil Gaiman Illustrated by Charles Vess Directed by Matthew Vaughn (Paramount Pictures)
Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form: Doctor Who “Blink” Written by Steven Moffat Directed by Hettie Macdonald (BBC)
Listen to this show
|
|
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Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:20:37}
Or
|
- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {4:00}
- Click here for news about the Mars Phoenix mission {5:25}
- Click here for news about the encounter between Mars Express and the Martian moon Phobos.{4:13}
- Click here for news about the encounter with asteroid Stein by the Rosetta spacecraft. {2:49}
- Click here for news about Cassini's recent encounter with Enceladus. {4:15}
- Click here for our interview with Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. {56:49}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:35}
- Click here to hear our current show.
- You can also listen to interviews we did with Brian and Kevin in 2000 and 2002 as well as an interview with Kevin by himself from WorldCon in 2002.
- Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
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If you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 Web Site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.
Links for more information relating to this week's show
Brian Herbert and Kevin J.Anderson
More information about the Dune books can be found at the Official Dune Web Site.
Here's a link to another interview with Brian and Kevin, here's a link to an interview they did in 1999 and here's a link to a video interview with them.
Space News - This week
Much information about the Phoenix mission to Mars can be found at this JPL Web Site or at this Web Site from the University of Arizona or this NASA Web Site. Additional information about various past NASA missions can be found here.
Pictures and other information about the Phobos encounter by Mars Express can be found here while background information about Mars Express and its other discoveries at Mars can be found here.
More information about the encounter of the Rosetta spacecraft with asteroid Steins can be found here and more information about the Rosetta spacecraft and its mission can be found here.
Updates and additional information about the the Cassini mission to Saturn can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL and news about the Enceladus flyby can be found here with high resolution images of the sources of those jets here.
Space News - Dawn - A Mission to the Asteroids
Updates and additional information about the mission of the Dawn spacecraft can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL or at this NASA Web Site.
Additional information about asteroids can be found at the NASA Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Web Site.
Dawn is a part of the Discovery Program of deep space missions. Information about Dawn and other missions can be found at the Discovery Program Web Site.
Space News - Mars
For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University. You can also get information about the MER mission by reading the News Updates posted by Dr. Steve Squyres, the project's Principal Investigator.
To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.
Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA
Web Site.
The University of Arizona Web Site for the imaging system used to take the Huygens pictures of Titan has much information about how they were obtained and processed as well as a collection of processed and unprocessed images.
The Huygens probe carried a microphone and recorded the various sounds that it heard while descending to the surface of Titan. You can listen to those sounds at this Web Page sponsored by the Planetary Society.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
The Space Today Web Site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now Web Site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch Web Site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
ISS News
The Florida Today Web Site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station Web Page or the Boeing Web Page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link Web Site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA Web Page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
Space Related Organizations
If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration of the Solar System and has a wealth of information for its members and others.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note Web Pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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On Friday - April 11th, 2008 - Hour 25 brought you our interview with Dr. Alan Binder, the Principal Investigator for the Lunar Prospector mission. {Though as you'll hear in our interview his responsibilities on that project were so wide ranging that you could easily consider him to have been the Czar of the mission.} We'll be chatting with him about Lunar science and exploration and how he managed to overcome all the odds and fly a mission to the Moon.
In addition to all of those things we'll also be talking with him about his two books, Lunar Prospector - Against All Odds and Moon Quake. Each of these deal with the exploration of the Moon, using both fiction and non-fiction to give a unique insight into how real scientists and engineers work.
Lunar Prospector - Against All Odds tells the story of the development of the Lunar Prospector spacecraft and of its mission to the Moon, as seen through Alan Binder's eyes. In this book you will learn about not just the technical issues associated with designing and operating a Lunar probe, but also the politics and personalities that play such significant roles in those activities.
In Against All Odds Alan Binder takes a very different tack from most authors writing books about space exploration. He uses a very personal viewpoint and does not pull any punches when expressing his feelings about various people and organizations. Some people might be put off by this. And others might disagree with his opinions about various people or his perceptions concerning events that transpired during the development of Lunar Prospector and their root causes. But that cannot take away from the unique and valuable point of view that Dr. Binder provides in this book.
For persons working in the field of space exploration this can be an eye opener for the back room dealings that go on in the development of a space project. But it also is an excellent technical overview of all the things that have to be done to make a space project successful. {And along the way it shows some of the things to avoid when desigining a spacecraft that is going to go to another planet.}
For persons who wish to write fiction about scientists and engineers this book will show how technical projects are really developed as opposed to the bland histories that are normally published. {Just be aware that the old adage about law and sausage applies also to technical projects.} It shows that scientists and technologists are just people with the same faults and virtues as everyone else.
Lunar Prospector - Against All Odds is a fascinating and thought provoking book. I'm sure that not everyone will agree with the sentiments in this book or with Dr. Binder's take on certain events, but the intense personal viewpoint of the book is quite engaging and makes this a book that is hard to put down. Strongly recommended.
Moon Quake is a fictional account of the development of a Lunar outpost and what life at such a base might be like. It is very similar to classic hard SF in that it places great importance on technical accuracy. As a result, a certain amount of the book gets taken up with discussions of the technical issues forming the background for the story - which can be fascinating but some people might feel that these things get in the way of the action. Midway through the book there is a natural disaster that turns a tale of exploration into a tale of survival. The story of how the astronauts work to survive this disaster is written with sensibilities right out of the Golden Age of Science Fiction. I enjoyed it. If you like hard SF then you might enjoy it also.
Listen to this week's show
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Click here to listen to the entire show. {1:26:50}
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- Click here for the show's intro music.{0:41}
- Click here for the show's opening. {3:50}
- Click here for our thoughts on the death of Sir Arthur C. Clarke. {7:25}
- Click here for news about the flight of the Jules Verne.{2:20}
- Click here for news about current and future Lunar missions. {1:08}
- Click here for news about Cassini's recent encounter with Enceladus. {3:20}
- Click here for our interview with Dr. Alan Binder. {1:06:16}
- Click here for the show's closing.{1:50}
- Click here to hear our current show.
- Click here for links to all of our previous Shows that you can listen to on the Hour 25 Web Site.
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If you enjoyed this show and would like to know when other interviews are uploaded to the Hour 25 Web Site, then send an email to me at wwjames@earthlink.net and I will add your name to the free Hour 25 Newsletter mailing list. That way you'll get a brief notice in your email every time a new show gets uploaded to the web.
Links for more information relating to this week's show
Dr. Alan Binder and Lunar Prospector
You can learn more about Dr. Alan Binder and his work at the Lunar Research Institute Web Site.
More information about Lunar Prospector can be found at Web Sites from NASA, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, or the National Space Science Data Center.
You can purchase Moon Quake at the Apogee Books Web Site, along with lots of other great space books.
You can find a great deal of information about past and future Lunar missions - and related subjects - at the Lunar and Planetary Institute Lunar Missions Web Site.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur C. Clarke inspired many of us and his work continues through the efforts of The Arthur C. Clarke Foundation.
Here's a link to one of the last interviews with Arthur C. Clarke.
A selection of the wit, wisdom and insight of Sir Arthur can be found at the Arthur C. Clarke Quotations Page.
Additional information about Arthur C. Clarke can be found at this site and remembrances of Sir Arthur can be found at this BBC web page.
Space News - This week
Much information about the ATV Jules Verne can be found at this ESA Web Site. Make sure you check out this page to see how ESA is thinking about evolving the ATV for future applications.
Information about China's Lunar probe Chang'e 1 can be found here, here and here. Images and other data from that mission can be found here.
The mission of Japan's Lunar probe Kaguya is described at this Web Site provided by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency with more information about the H-IIA launch vehicle being presented here. More information about the spacecraft can be found at this NSSDC Web Site.
India's upcoming Lunar mission is described here and here.
You can learn more about America's upcoming unmanned Lunar Orbiter at this NASA Web Site.
Updates and additional information about the the Cassini mission to Saturn can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL and news about the Enceladus flyby can be found here.
Space News - Dawn - A Mission to the Asteroids
Updates and additional information about the mission of the Dawn spacecraft can be found at the project's Home Page at JPL or at this NASA Web Site.
Additional information about asteroids can be found at the NASA Near Earth Asteroid (NEO) Web Site.
Dawn is a part of the Discovery Program of deep space missions. Information about Dawn and other missions can be found at the Discovery Program Web Site.
Space News - Mars
For more information about the Mars Exploration Rovers be sure to check out the MER Web Site at JPL or this Mars Rover site at Cornell University. You can also get information about the MER mission by reading the News Updates posted by Dr. Steve Squyres, the project's Principal Investigator.
To learn more about the Mars Express mission you can go to this ESA Mars Express Web Site, this Mars Express Web Page from JPL, this NSSDC Mars Express Web Page, or this Web Page from Mars News.Com.
For more information about the Exploration of Mars be sure to go to the JPL Mars Exploration Site, the Center for Mars Exploration at NASA Ames, or the Mars Missions Web Site at the Planetary Society.
Information about the data returned by previous Mars missions can be found at this Mars Web Page at the NSSDC.
Information about the Phoenix Mission to Mars can be found at this Press Release from the University of Arizona. You can view a 3D picture of the Mars Phoenix spacecraft here.
For more Mars news be sure to check out the Mars News.Com Web Site.
Percival Lowell did much to shape our ideas about Mars in the early years of the 20th Century. You can learn more about his work by reading this on-line copy of his 1895 book Mars.
Space News - The Cassini Mission to Saturn
Much information about the Cassini mission can be found at the Project's Official Web Site at JPL.
JPL is constantly releasing pictures from Cassini. You can find them by going to this JPL Web Page.
Additional information about the Cassini mission can be found at this ESA
Web Site.
The University of Arizona Web Site for the imaging system used to take the Huygens pictures of Titan has much information about how they were obtained and processed as well as a collection of processed and unprocessed images.
The Huygens probe carried a microphone and recorded the various sounds that it heard while descending to the surface of Titan. You can listen to those sounds at this Web Page sponsored by the Planetary Society.
For On-Going Updates on Space News
Links relating to the loss of Space Shuttle Columbia can be found here.
The Reusable Launch & Space Vehicle News Web Site Web Page that is part of the Hobby Space Web Site is a really good place to watch for news about, well... Reusable Launch Vehicles and related subjects. I check it out just about every day and often find news there that doesn't show up anywhere else. Give it a look. {And while you're there be sure to check out some of the site's other pages. Wow! Is there a lot of information there.}
The Space Today Web Site is a great place to find space news from all over the 'net.
The Spaceflight Now Web Site carries real time information about current space missions and presents a lot of space and astronomy news. This is the place I go to when I want up to the minute information about current space missions. Do I need to say more?
The NASA Watch Web Site is another great place for getting information about current space missions. Check there also for news about other 'goings on' within NASA. Highly recommended.
ISS News
The Florida Today Web Site has a very interesting report about the causes of the ISS budget problems and their impact on the space program. It makes very interesting reading.
Click here to view the press kits for various ISS missions.
Check out the NASA International Space Station Web Page or the Boeing Web Page to learn more about this project.
A great source of news about Russian space activities, including their work on the ISS, can be found at the Russian Space Web.
Do you wonder where the Space Station is right now? You can use your browser to view real time maps showing the location of the ISS by going to this link at the NASA Space Link Web Site or here at the Johnson Spacecraft Center. Please note that your browser must support Java to make use of this satellite tracking software.
You can find out when the ISS - or many other spacecraft - can be seen from your location by going to this NASA Web Page. Please note; your browser must support Java for this application to work.
Space Related Organizations
If you are interested in learning more about current space activities there are many local and national organizations you might want to know about. Joining these organizations and taking part in their activities is a good way to stay abreast of things going on in space as well as a way to show your support for those activities. Listed below are some of those organizations.
The Organization for the Advancement of Space Industrialization and Settlement has long been place for persons living in the Los Angeles area to gather and discuss the promise of space. Be sure to check out their Web Site for information about their meetings and other activities.
The Orange County Space Society is another Los Angeles area organization that provides a focal point for persons who are interested in space developments to get together and share their ideas. They have created a number of displays explaining the history and importance of space exploration that have appeared at various public events. Be sure to check their Web Site for information about their meetings and other events.
The National Space Society has a long history of being an advocate for a vigorous space program and provides much information to its members through their magazine and Web Site.
The Space Frontier Foundation is a strong advocate for a non-governmental space program and serves as a focal point for much activity in that arena. Their annual conference in Los Angeles during the Fall is a great way to find out what is happening in the non-government space arena.
The Space Access Society is focused on reducing the cost of going into space by promoting non-governmental launch vehicle programs. Their annual conference in the spring is a major source of information on non-traditional launch vehicle activities.
The Planetary Society is focused on the exploration of the Solar System and has a wealth of information for its members and others.
Click here for information about the audio files used for Hour 25 and for information about configuring your browser and downloading audio players.
Please note Web Pages from external sites will open in a separate browser window and that Hour 25 Productions are not responsible for the content of any external Web Sites.
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