Talk:Sunjammer

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Boys' Life

I was a Boy Scout in 1964, and eagerly awaited each copy of Boy's Life. The March 1964 edition included the short story Sunjammer, by Arthur C. Clarke. It also had a beautiful cover with a picture of a single-man sun-yatch, sail unfurled, as the pilot operated the controls to align the sail with the "wind from the sun." To this day I remember I read the story from start to finish in one sitting. It was a thrilling story with enough technical detail to fascinate this young lad of 14. At that point in my young life, I had already announced to my parents that I was going to be an aerospace engineer, and I made that announcement a few years earlier on a hot, muggy August evening as my brothers, sister, parents and I scanned the evening sky for a bright point of light called Echo. I announced that I wanted to be one those men who worked on Echo. I thought that would be the most fascinating and wonderful journey I could make through life.

Today, I am a practicing aerospace engineer, the last 10 years with Lockheed Martin in Sunyvale, CA. I spent the 24 years after I graduated from Texas A&M and was commissioned an officer as an astronautical engineer with the US Air Force, developing and building satellites. Sunjammer contributed to my ideal about this occupation. To date, I have not been disappointed. The journey continues.

Tim Crews, Sunnyvale, CA

Duality

This is an edit in progress, right now, 13:14, 19 May 2015 (UTC). Please help complete the duality. Thanks.

I also was a Boy Scout in 1964. All Boy Scouts received a subscription to the monthly magazine Boy's Life, which regularly published science ficition by the best writers, such as Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein. I also subscribed to Analog Science Fiction and Fact. In the same month both published a story titled Sunjammer. The one in Analog was by Poul Anderson. Anderson's stature as a science fiction writer is nearly as high as Clarke's. Today, May 19,2015, I read a news story about the planed launch this week of a solar sail powered satellite. Only 51 years after I first read about them! I remembered both stories, but thought they were both in Analog. I have all of my Analogs, over 600 of them on a shelf I am facing as I type this. I found the Anderson stroy in seconds. I am glad I came here. I bought a copy of the issue of Boys' Life, and will edit more here when I have time, in the next few days. Nick Beeson (talk) 13:15, 19 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]