Introduction There are many photographs out there of fake flying saucers, and fake photographs of real flying saucers. I have decided to publish from my files, one of my favorites: a fake photograph of a fake flying saucer. …

Introduction There is an art to choosing the appropriate name for a space program, especially a “Human Space Mission”. In the early days of the space race, NASA used the category of “Manned Space” to distinguish missions from those performed by unmanned spacecraft, or what we now call “robotics”. Realizing how…

Introduction The companion piece to this story, “Building the World’s Largest Wind Turbine”, was written somewhat with tongue in cheek, but this story has to be taken more seriously. Unlike the Mod-1 WTG, erected in Boone, North Carolina, which has been surpassed in size and power many times, the General Purpose…

Travel Log from Panama and Costa Rica Introduction These are my diary entries from a trip that I made to Panama and Costa Rica, several years ago. The highlight of the trip was passage through the Panama Canal. …

Introduction This story was intended to focus on the reliability of power systems for interplanetary spacecraft, but with my writers’ weakness for digression, the dialogue does touch on other topics. …

Introduction I began writing this story in response to several articles about proposals to place satellites into Earth orbit using alternatives to chemical rocket propulsion. To date, every man-made object placed into Earth orbit, or beyond, has been placed there by using a launch vehicle propelled by chemical rocket engines. Two…

Introduction A recent feature article of AARP’s Bulletin, dated June 2022, entitled, “The New Truth About Aging”, presented the results of a poll that included preparedness for retirement, segregated by age groups. Surprisingly, and to the satisfaction of its oldest members, the poll showed that older age groups were better prepared…

Introduction First, get used to the idea, that before the Conquest, Anglo-Saxons were known by only one name. For example, two of the earliest members of the Cockfield family had the names “Wulfric”, and “Leofmaer”. Period. Add to that the practice of naming children after uncles and other relatives, and it…

Introduction The truth of the matter is, there are no secrets. The keys to living a long, healthy, and happy life have always been known. They begin with food and exercise, and a stress-free attitude. Easier said than done. …