The nuclear reactors that could power bases on the Moon

The nuclear reactors that could power bases on the Moon
By Sue Nelson,Features correspondent, BBC news,
Getty Images Nasa artist's impression of Moon reactor (Credit: Getty Images)
Getty Images Astronauts living on the Moon will need lots of power – but they can’t take fuel supplies with them. A new generation of miniature nuclear reactors could be the answer.

The 1970s TV series Space: 1999 began – like many a sci-fi drama – with a bang. A nuclear explosion tears the Moon out of Earth’s orbit and sends Moonbase Alpha and its inhabitants on an exciting adventure through deep space.

It obviously left an impression on a young Elon Musk. In 2017, when envisioning SpaceX’s plans for a future Moon base, he named it Alpha. Today, SpaceX is working with Nasa to return humankind to the Moon’s surface as part of the US space agency’s Artemis programme. The planned lunar outpost, however, has a more pragmatic working title: Artemis Base Camp.

Nasa and the US Department of State have issued combined guidelines for peaceful lunar exploration in the form of the Artemis Accords. So far 36 nations – including India, Japan, the UK, Canada, Australia, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea – have signed up.

China is also spearheading a base on the Moon with an equally practical title. The International Lunar Research Station, announced in 2021, currently has Russia, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Venezuela, Egypt and South Africa as signatories.

But whichever coalition builds the first base on the Moon, they will all need a reliable power source. Across the world many companies and space agencies have all come to the same conclusion.

“The truth is that nuclear is the only option to power a moonbase,” says Simon Middleburgh from the Nuclear Futures Institute at Bangor University in Wales.

READ MORE

Lots of zines to share!

Quite a few zines arrived in the last few days, enjoy!

Latest update from Bill Burns:

  • Catching up after Eastercon, I’ve added these new issues at https://efanzines.com:
  • Opuntia #569, edited by Dale Speirs
  • Heath Row’s The Stf Amateur, April 2024 (apazine bundle)
  • Octothorpe #106 a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line
  • Andy Hooper’s CAPTAIN FLASHBACK #64
  • Perry Middlemiss’s Perryscope #42
  • Guy Lillian’s The Zine Dump #59
  • Nic Farey’s This Here…#73
  • Leigh Edmonds’ Ornithopter Mk.IIb
  • Sandra Bond’s TAFF newsletter, Taffluorescence #3
  • Leybl Botwinik’s CyberCozen – Apr 2024
  • Dan Harper’s ABwoF #13
  • David Grigg’s The Megaloscope #12
  • Christopher J. Garcia’s Claims Department #69
  • Garth Spencer’s The Obdurate Eye #38
  • Octothorpe #107 a regular fannish podcast by John Coxon, Alison Scott and Liz Batty, is now on line

N3FReview202403

ES202404

Tightbeam355

FilmsFant_Apr2024

TH 73

CCApril2024-v01

April 13 Club Meeting, Post 2 of 2 – Thanks & Sign-Off

5) THANK YOU

We thank for their contributions to this afternoon’s programming Cathy Palmer-Lister, Keith Braithwaite, and Danny Sichel, all of our contributing participants, as well as everyone who helped to plan and run this meeting. And, of course, we thank all of you who joined us here in person, and on ZOOM; don’t forget to comment on today’s get-together (www.MonSFFA.ca).

6) NEXT MONTH’S CLUB MEETING

MonSFFA meets again on Saturday, May 11, from 1:00PM to 5:00PM. Join us as we welcome guest speaker Rich Larson, who Gardner Dozois acclaims as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade.”

And, check in with us at www.MonSFFA.ca for updates and additional content; the latest issue of our club news bulletin, Impulse, is also available on our site for viewing or download.

7) SIGN-OFF

Have a wonderful rest-of-the-weekend, and we’ll see you at our May 11 meeting!

April 13 Club Meeting, Post 1 of 2 – Introduction & Agenda

1) INTRODUCTION

Welcome to MonSFFA’s April 13, 2024 meeting! This afternoon’s proceedings are soon to get underway. We are meeting live and in person at our new meeting hall in the Nouvel Hotel, downtown! For those joining us online, today, see the instructions, below (at the end of this post), to join in and participate on ZOOM.
Our programming agenda begins at 1:00PM; the meeting will conclude at 5:00PM. This opening post has gone up shortly before the meeting’s start time to allow folk to gather online at their leisure.
A closing post will go up at 5:00PM to officially thank today’s presenters/discussion moderators, and to publish the date of our next meeting.

2) MEETING THEME FOR APRIL

Spring is here! The weather is warming, the days are longer, gardens are budding, the birds are returning, the club is meeting downtown again, and we’ve just witnessed a rare total solar eclipse right here in our own backyard! Life is good! We invite members to share their eclipse experience with the group, and to simply enjoy the season!

3) THIS AFTERNOON’S AGENDA

Today’s programming agenda is as follows:

1:00PM—The Eclipse Experience

Club members recount their experiences observing the total solar eclipse of April 8 and share any photos they snapped of the event. Not for some 80 years will another such eclipse take place in the skies over Southern Québec!

1:30PM—The Spark that Lit the Fire

Moderated discussion of our earliest exposure to science fiction and/or fantasy; MonSFFen recall the novel, short story, comic book, movie, or television show that introduced them to the genre, and sparked their life-long interest in SF/F.

2:30PM—William Castle: Hollywood’s Maestro of the Movie-Marketing Gimmick!

A presentation on the career of prolific producer/director/ writer/actor William Castle. Touting such “amazing” cinematic     “technologies” as “Emergo,” “Percepto,” and “Illusion-O,” Castle is remembered for the hyperbolic marketing gimmicks he employed to promote his oeuvre of horror/thriller and sci-fi B-movies, which included House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler (both 1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Strait-Jacket (1964), and Bug (1975).

3:30PM—Break

Raffle, club business, and finalizing of plans for club’s field trip in June.

4:00PM—Sci-Fi Balderdash

Another round of our SF/F version of the popular parlour game, Balderdash. Guess which synopsis of an actual SF/F title is real, while at the same time trying to fool your opponents into choosing as the real synopsis the fake one you just wrote!

4:45PM—Clean-Up/Pack-Up

Out by 5:00PM.

While we strive to keep on schedule, we do, sometimes, fall behind a little, or find ourselves having to reshuffle the order of items on the agenda for one reason or another. Therefore, please also note that all programming is subject to change!

4) JOIN THIS AFTERNOON’S VIDEO-CHAT ON ZOOM!

To take part in this afternoon’s meeting online, join our ZOOM video-chat, which will run throughout the next few hours. Simply click here and follow the prompts:

This Afternoon’s MonSFFA e-Meeting on ZOOM

If you’re not fully equipped to ZOOM, you can also take part by phone (voice only); in the Montreal area, the toll-free number to call is: 1-438-809-7799. From out of town? No problem; find your ZOOM call-in number here:

Call-In Numbers

Also, have this information on hand; you may be asked to enter it:

Meeting ID: 839 3957 5954
Passcode: 360767

The sci-fi fun begins at 1:00PM! Thanks for joining us today, and enjoy the meeting!

NEXT CLUB MEETING IS TOMORROW, SATURDAY, APRIL 13!

MonSFFA’s Next Meeting is Tomorrow, Saturday, April 13, from 1:00PM-5:00PM!

Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 Boul. René-Lévesque (corner St-Mathieu), “Salle Maisonneuve” (Conference Floor, South Tower)

…and concurrently on ZOOM!… www.MonSFFA.ca

TOMORROW’S AGENDA INCLUDES:

The Eclipse Experience

Club members recount their experiences observing the total solar eclipse of April 8 and share any photos they snapped of the event. Not for some 80 years will another such eclipse take place in the skies over Southern Québec!

The Spark that Lit the Fire

Moderated discussion of our earliest exposure to science fiction and/or fantasy; MonSFFen recall the novel, short story, comic book, movie, or television show that introduced them to the genre, and sparked their life-long interest in SF/F.

William Castle: Hollywood’s Maestro of the Movie-Marketing Gimmick!

A presentation on the career of prolific producer, director, writer, and actor William Castle. Touting such “amazing” cinematic “technologies” as “Emergo,” “Percepto,” and “Illusion-O,” Castle is remembered for the hyperbolic marketing gimmicks he employed to promote his oeuvre of horror/thriller and sci-fi B-movies, which included House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler (both 1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Strait-Jacket (1964), and Bug (1975).

Sci-Fi Balderdash

Another round of our SF/F version of the popular parlour game, Balderdash. Guess which synopsis of an actual SF/F title is real, while at the same time trying to fool your opponents into choosing as the real synopsis the fake one you just wrote!

and more…

April’s Meeting Theme: Spring is here! The weather is warming, the days are longer, gardens are budding, the birds are returning, the club is meeting downtown again, and we’ve just witnessed a rare total solar eclipse right here in our own backyard! Life is good! We invite members to share their eclipse experience with the group, and to simply enjoy the season!

Please note that MonSFFA has moved to a new meeting hall, back downtown! We are now meeting in the Nouvel Hotel on René-Lévesque Ouest (corner St-Mathieu), just one block west of our former, pre-pandemic downtown locale (Hôtel Espresso)! Yes, we’re back in our old, familiar neighbourhood, folks, and we hope to welcome home both current and dormant club members; see you all on April 13th!

We have concluded our brief relationship with the Lachine Legion, with all appropriate thanks to that institution for having hosted us in 2023 and early 2024, and are now meeting in the Nouvel Hotel’s “Salle Maisonneuve!” Le Nouvel is located on a major downtown bus line, and is a short walk from either Metro Guy/Concordia or Lucien-L’Allier.

Our Following Meeting: Saturday, May 11, with guest speaker Rich Larson (Annex, Ymir, Tomorrow Factory), acclaimed by Gardner Dozois as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade.”

NEXT CLUB MEETING IS THIS SATURDAY, APRIL 13!

MonSFFA’s Next Meeting is this Saturday, April 13, from 1:00PM-5:00PM!

Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 Boul. René-Lévesque (corner St-Mathieu), “Salle Maisonneuve” (Conference Floor, South Tower)

…and concurrently on ZOOM!… www.MonSFFA.ca

APRIL’S AGENDA INCLUDES:

The Eclipse Experience

Club members recount their experiences observing the total solar eclipse of April 8 and share any photos they snapped of the event. Not for some 80 years will another such eclipse take place in the skies over Southern Québec!

The Spark that Lit the Fire

Moderated discussion of our earliest exposure to science fiction and/or fantasy; MonSFFen recall the novel, short story, comic book, movie, or television show that introduced them to the genre, and sparked their life-long interest in SF/F.

William Castle: Hollywood’s Maestro of the Movie-Marketing Gimmick!

A presentation on the career of prolific producer, director, writer, and actor William Castle. Touting such “amazing” cinematic “technologies” as “Emergo,” “Percepto,” and “Illusion-O,” Castle is remembered for the hyperbolic marketing gimmicks he employed to promote his oeuvre of horror/thriller and sci-fi B-movies, which included House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler (both 1959), 13 Ghosts (1960), Strait-Jacket (1964), and Bug (1975).

Sci-Fi Balderdash

Another round of our SF/F version of the popular parlour game, Balderdash. Guess which synopsis of an actual SF/F title is real, while at the same time trying to fool your opponents into choosing as the real synopsis the fake one you just wrote!

and more…

April’s Meeting Theme: Spring is here! The weather is warming, the days are longer, gardens are budding, the birds are returning, the club is meeting downtown again, and we’ve just witnessed a rare total solar eclipse right here in our own backyard! Life is good! We invite members to share their eclipse experience with the group, and to simply enjoy the season!

Please note that MonSFFA has moved to a new meeting hall, back downtown! We are now meeting in the Nouvel Hotel on René-Lévesque Ouest (corner St-Mathieu), just one block west of our former, pre-pandemic downtown locale (Hôtel Espresso)! Yes, we’re back in our old, familiar neighbourhood, folks, and we hope to welcome home both current and dormant club members; see you all on April 13th!

We have concluded our brief relationship with the Lachine Legion, with all appropriate thanks to that institution for having hosted us in 2023 and early 2024, and are now meeting in the Nouvel Hotel’s “Salle Maisonneuve!” Le Nouvel is located on a major downtown bus line, and is a short walk from either Metro Guy/Concordia or Lucien-L’Allier.

Our Following Meeting: Saturday, May 11, with guest speaker Rich Larson (Annex, Ymir, Tomorrow Factory), acclaimed by Gardner Dozois as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade.”

April 2024 Issue of Impulse Now Available!

ATTENTION ALL MonSFFA MEMBERS and FRIENDS!

Now that the eclipse is over, we take the opportunity to announce that the latest issue of the club’s news bulletin, Impulse, is currently available for viewing or download (as a PDF)!

Go to the “Impulse” page of this Website, or just click here: ImpulseApril2024(OnlineVersion)PDF

As part of the agenda, we’ll all be sharing our eclipse experiences this Saturday, April 13, at our upcoming club meeting (see the Impulse, above)!
So bring in any eclipse photos that you may have snapped, or send them as .jpgs to president@monsffa.ca in advance of the meeting so that we may share them with the group on the big screen!

Enjoy the April 2024 Impulse, and we hope to see you all at the meeting on Saturday!

Clear Sky for Monday’s Eclipse

 Yes! Clear sky and mild temperature for viewing the eclipse.

How to view the eclipse in the Montreal area

Download the app: Developed by Quebec Federation of Amateur Astronomers (FAAQ), this app will give you information related to where you are standing. Also, it is good for years to come. While we won’t see another eclipse in Montreal in our lifetimes, they are fairly common and who knows? You might catch the bug and start chasing shadows. https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/quebec-app-helps-amateur-astronomers-watch-the-eclipse-1.6834789

There are two major hubs of activity for viewers in the Montreal area if you are ok with crowds.

Parc Jean-Dapeau  : Plan to get there early, the Metro is expected to be crowded. Free eclipse glasses will be distributed to the first 150 000 arrivals.

Montreal Science Centre :The Science Centre in collaboration with Cirque du Soleil will distribute 20,000 free pairs of eclipse glasses.

Watch to music: The OSM has a playlist on Spotify.  Click start right at 2:14 for best listening experience!

There is a small margin of error in the maps along the edges of the path of totality. Try to be closer to the centre, you wouldn’t want to miss this event by being a block too far away! If you are willing to travel, the best viewing, ie longest duration of totality, will be in the Eastern Townships.

Timing for the total solar eclipse in Montreal:

  • Eclipse begins: 2:14 p.m.
  • Total solar eclipse: 3:27 p.m.
  • Eclipse ends: 4:36 p.m.

What to watch for:

  • Just before totality, you may see ripples of light on the ground.These are the “shadow bands”.
  • Plants that close in the dark, such at the prayer plant or dandelions if any are out yet.
  • Pets may react strangely.(or they may be reacting to our strange behaviour!)
  • Colours, especially reds and blues, may look darker or brighter.
  • A drop in temperature
  • For a bit of fun, use a colander to view multiple little eclipses on the ground or project them onto a wall.
  • Shadows will appear sharper.
  • 360 degree sunset
  • Brightest stars, as well as Jupiter and Venus. Venus will be the brighter one.

Keep your glasses! The sun is approaching maximum, there are often sunspots you can see with your eclipse glasses. Just make sure to keep them in pristine condition and always check for scratches or pinholes.

GUEST SPEAKER AT CLUB’S MAY 11 MEETING!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Appearing in Person at MonSFFA’s Saturday, May 11 Meeting: Rich Larson!

This is an early heads-up to announce that SF writer Rich Larson will attend our May 11 meeting as guest speaker! Rich’s books include Annex, Ymir, and the short story collection Tomorrow Factory. He has been praised by Gardner Dozois as “One of the best new writers to enter science fiction in more than a decade.” Currently based in Montreal, Rich was born in Galmi, Niger, and has lived in Spain and the Czech Republic. His fiction has been translated into over a dozen languages, among them Polish, French, Romanian and Japanese.
Rich will speak on his personal creative process, the mechanics of writing short fiction, the business of selling same, and the transition to novel writing. A Q&A will follow, and Rich will cover, as well, his experience with the Emmy-winning television adaptation of one of his stories for LOVE DEATH + ROBOTS!

***********************************************************

MonSFFA’s May 2024 Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, May 11, 1:00PM-5:00PM

at:

Le Nouvel Hotel, 1740 Boul. René-Lévesque (corner St-Mathieu), “Salle Maisonneuve” (Conference Floor, South Tower)

 

See Rich Larson’s bibliography at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database: isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?Rich%20Larson

Read some of Rich Larson’s fiction online at: https://www.freesfonline.net/authors/Rich_Larson.html