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Geeking Science: Chinese Missions

Erin Penn

CHINA’S ZHURONG MARS ROVER China’s first Mars rover, Zhurong, is pictured next to its landing platform on the surface of the red planet. The rover traveled approximately 10 meters to drop off a wireless camera, then backed up into frame in order to capture this spectacular image. Image: CNSA

Of course the Chinese know how to have their robots take great selfies. Just look how cute the Zhurong is beside its buddy lander. Hi there Zhurong, I hope you have great fun on Mars, or Huoxing (the planet of fire) as you like to call it.

So the Chinese space learning curve has kicked in with successful missions piling up and more planned, each leading and building to the next as a proper space (race) nation should be. Third nation to return samples from the moon, second to land a rover on Mars. Give them time and they might be the first to send back images from Alpha Centauri.

The moon mission returned a new mineral. (Andrew, Tianwen, Sept 15, 2022)

And they packed so much into that little moon mission. Instead of a simple drop and return, they made a in-space reconnect of the sample and orbiter to practice doing the same for a Mars sample return. If they are successful with the Mars sample return on the present ambitious schedule (out and back by July 2031), they will be the first nation ever to do it. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) have similar plans in works, but their calendar is looking two years beyond that.

After returning the samples to Earth, the Chang’e-5 visited the Sun-Earth Lagrange point 1 for some solar observations, then moved back to the moon for some Distant Retrograde Orbit tests. Both of these additional missions are tests and information gathering for future missions. (The Planetary Society, 2022)

Never do just one thing when you can do twenty – am I right?

This is the way of space missions now. Anything getting out of orbit is carrying a lot of CubeSats for nations and for corporations, as well as the main payload.

Can’t wait to see what all China will pack into their Huoxing (Mars) mission. And it will be fun to see what NASA and the ESA do to try to keep up. At least, some of the new space race (to Mars) will involve flying drones.

I know there will be more robot selfies. Looking fine Zhurong. I’m sure your siblings will look as great as Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, and Perseverance have over the years. I’m geeking humanity’s joint exploration of the solar system and the stars.

Bibliography

Jones, Andrew. “China discovers new moon mineral in lunar samples.” space.com. September 12, 2022. https://www.space.com/china-new-lunar-mineral-chang-e – last viewed 12/17/2022.

Jones. Andrew. “Tianwen-3: China’s Mars sample return mission.” The Planetary Society. September 15, 2022. https://www.planetary.org/articles/tianwen-3-china-mars-sample-return-mission – last viewed 12/17/2022.

The Planetary Society. “Chang’e-5: China’s Moon sample return mission.” (undated). https://www.planetary.org/space-missions/change-5 – last viewed 12/17/2022.

Xinhua. “China’s first Mars rover starts exploring red planet.” May 22, 2021. http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2021-05/22/c_139963090.htm – last viewed 12/17/2022.

Editing Rant: Effect vs. Affect

Erin Penn

4748169 © Aelius | Dreamstime.com
I hate AFFECT / EFFECT.
From Merriam-Webster:

Affect is usually a verb meaning “to produce an effect upon,” as in “the weather affected his mood.” Effect is usually a noun meaning “a change that results when something is done or happens,” as in “computers have had a huge effect on our lives.” There are exceptions, but if you think of affect as a verb and effect as a noun, you’ll be right a majority of the time.

The full article is here:

Merriam-Webster. ‘Affect’ vs. ‘Effect’ – How to pick the right one. https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/affect-vs-effect-usage-difference (last viewed 4/16/2022)

Book Review: Mexican Gothic

Erin Penn

Amazon Cover

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

BOOK BLURB ON AMAZON

IN DEVELOPMENT AS A HULU ORIGINAL LIMITED SERIES PRODUCED BY KELLY RIPA AND MARK CONSUELOS • WINNER OF THE LOCUS AWARD •  NOMINATED FOR THE BRAM STOKER AWARD

After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.   
 
Noemí is also an unlikely rescuer: She’s a glamorous debutante, and her chic gowns and perfect red lipstick are more suited for cocktail parties than amateur sleuthing. But she’s also tough and smart, with an indomitable will, and she is not afraid: Not of her cousin’s new husband, who is both menacing and alluring; not of his father, the ancient patriarch who seems to be fascinated by Noemí; and not even of the house itself, which begins to invade Noemi’s dreams with visions of blood and doom.
 
Her only ally in this inhospitable abode is the family’s youngest son. Shy and gentle, he seems to want to help Noemí, but might also be hiding dark knowledge of his family’s past. For there are many secrets behind the walls of High Place. The family’s once colossal wealth and faded mining empire kept them from prying eyes, but as Noemí digs deeper she unearths stories of violence and madness. 
 
And Noemí, mesmerized by the terrifying yet seductive world of High Place, may soon find it impossible to ever leave this enigmatic house behind.

 

MY REVIEW

All the classic tropes of the Gothic genre, all tied up into a piñata to be hit and spun with a Latino flavor until destroyed to reveal a treat-filled ending for those who love this type of horror. Set in the mid-1900s, the story centers on Noemi – a happy modern city-bred debutant – who must face an ancient house in the county to visit her newly wed cousin.

An unsettled quiet covers the community sunk beside the mountain-top manor, buildings and people left behind after the silver mines closed and finding themselves unable to relocate. Within the manor, Noemi discovers her cousin may be recovering from a fever illness, according to those that reside there, or her cousin may be been driven mad from the family secrets her groom had hid until marriage. And the longer Noemi stays, the more secrets she discovers about what happened to her cousin, the town, and the family. The question is how many secrets can Noemi discover before she knows too much to be allowed to leave.

Gothic glory-ness – Rich in the Mexican mountains and culture. Deep in the fame and faded fortunes of the failed sliver mines, Machismo culture of the mid-1900s strongly portrayed by the men and internalized by all the women in the book. And a house- oh, the house! Dark, dreadful.

I did find the beginning slow – but the final quarter of the book is worth the slow build. A typical pattern for gothic horror stories. The machismo grated on my nerves, but is appropriate to the time setting and culture.

I read this for my speculative fiction book club. They continue to push me into reads I didn’t know existed but expand my world. Call out to Maven of the Eventide and the rest of my group!

Magical Words: Writing Rituals

Erin Penn

Photo by Valery Fedotov on Unsplash

Writing Rituals

Some people swear by performing a ritual before starting writing to get their mind separated from “everything that needs to be done while I at home” to “I’m working.” Separating Home-Work-Chores from Working-from-Home is necessary, as many people have found out over the last few pandemic years.

Rituals to compartmentalize the Home from the Work space in the head allows one to return from work to home. Otherwise, someone is either always at work (a horrible situation) or at home (with the related distractions and related stress). Writers have been facing this issue for years.

Some of my writing friends separate Work-and-Home physically instead of just mentally, by going to Starbucks or other location. Locally, a bar-coffee-shop welcomes writers during NaNoWritMo. Two mugs can get a long way into your word count.

Leaving my cozy cottage doesn’t work well for me. My brain considers that friend time or “other” work time. But having writing-work not being distinct from home makes me depressed over time. Fortunately about the time the depression has be crossing into unproductive, is about the time tax season kicks in.

I need to find a solution to separate the brain spaces better.

Finding the right ritual for me would help. 500 words per day worked for several months. Using a timer lasted about two alarms. Food hints – like a cup of herbal tea or just past lunch – those haven’t had any success for me. Smell is more related to a place separation for me; but incense in the house doesn’t work, as the scent the incense sticks around for days. Smell isn’t a good ritual divider for me, just a space identifier.

Coming back from other jobs and just sitting down and writing doesn’t give me the mind-set change I need to create. I need a break between the two efforts. But the break can’t take too long or be too distracting. For example, for many people, once the TV is on – it’s on for the night as one show passes into another and before you know it, you’ve binged for four hours. I can’t afford that if I want to produce saleable product.

I need an hour break after coming home. A mind-free time, then a ritual to get restarted.

Mindy Klasky gives a list of “Writing Rituals” which work for her in Magical Words 9/15/2011 posting. The comments include other writers goto choices:

Read it over for suggestions.

WRITING EXERCISE: Pick a ritual and try it for a week (or seven times, if you don’t write daily) to kick start your writing. Does it help get your head in the right space? Does it help you feel more relaxed and less stressed about your writing and the rest of your life?

I’m going to try and use the timer method again, but without the buzzer. I got a pretty hourglass which I will flip over. All I have to do is concentrate on writing while the sands are falling. Play a game of solitaire (and only one!) to turn off the mind from everything else in the house, open the door and curtains to let in even more light, and flip the hourglass. Wish me luck!

What ritual did you develop and how has it worked for you?