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"[Science fiction is] an integration of the mood and attitude of science (the objective universe) with the fears and hopes that spring from the unconscious."
- Gregory Benford
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| Airmakers | ||
| Machine to create breathable air from the constituent materials on an alien planet. |
You'll need some heavy equipment to terraform Venus. Like an airmaker.
| The first airmaker on their tour was... a dark, crouching bulk on a stony ridge, its intake funnel like the rearing neck of some archaic monster. They pulled up beside it, slapped down their helmets and went one by one through the airlock...
The airmaker was one of the most complicated machines in existence. A thing meant to transform the atmosphere of a planet had to be. The intake scooped up the wind and drove it, with the help of wind-powered compressors, through a series of chambers; some of them held catalysts, some electric arcs or heating coils, maintaining temperature - the continuous storm ran a good-sized generator - and some led back into to others in a maze of interconnections. The actual chemistry was simple enough. Paraformaldehyde was broken down and yielded its binding water molecules; the formaldehyde , together with that taken directly from the air, reacted with ammonia and methane - or with itself - to produce a whole series of hydrocarbons, carbohydrates and more complex compounds for food, fuel and fertilizer. Huge as the unit loomed, it seemed pathetically small when you thought of the fantastic tonnage which was the total planetary atmosphere. But more of tis kind were being build every day and scattered around the surface of the world; over a million already existed, seven million was the goal, and that number should theoretically be able to do the job in another twenty Earth years. |
| Technovelgy from The Big Rain,
by Poul Anderson. Published by Astounding Science Fiction in 1954 Additional resources -
|
See also the first instance of the word terraform in Jack Williamson's 1941 story Collision Orbit.
I can't resist mentioning that the first time I ever heard of "making air" was in Jules Verne's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea:
Thanks to Winchell Chung of Project Rho for pointing this item out.
How did the commander of this aquatic residence go about it? Did he obtain air using chemical methods, releasing the oxygen contained in potassium chlorate by heating it, meanwhile absorbing the carbon dioxide with potassium hydroxide?
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Additional
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More Ideas
and Technology from The Big Rain
More Ideas
and Technology by Poul Anderson
Tech news articles related to The Big Rain
Tech news articles related to works by Poul Anderson
Airmakers-related
news articles:
- Who First Suggested Terraforming Venus First?
| SpaceX's Starman Tesla Roadster In Space |
| Warp Drive Tech Back On The Menu |
| JAXA Int Ball 2 Coming Right Along As Star Wars Remote |
| Space Traffic Management (STM) Needed Now |
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I'm hoping that this procedure becomes a normal part of medical practice!
'... nothing was perfected until M. Pantalon announced the completion of his automatic valet.'
'...its streets were of remarkable width, with few or no buildings so high as mosques, churches, State-offices, or palaces in Tellurian cities.'
'...it was all composed of tiny, identical cubes, carefully laid to form a tilelike surface.'
'He carried on his person a triggering mechanism sensitive to his heartbeat.'
'...Anything was possible in my imaginary environment.'
'Somewhere in space, a chrome and blue automobile raced the green light of Earth.'
'That explains how it was so easy for me to remain motionless in midair...'
