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The Galactican Series #1
SpaceCorp: A Science Fiction Thriller
Lots of science fiction books tell about space-faring societies, but none of them explain how those societies got that way. Author Ejner Fulsang, having spent the last seven years at NASA, thinks he has a way and is prepared to enlighten us with his Galactican Series. Book 1, SpaceCorp, takes place in 2070 and is a hard science fiction technothriller that will take mankind from Low Earth Orbit to a permanent colony in Cislunar space. Subsequent books will take man to Mars and the Asteroids, through the Kuiper Belt and Oort Cloud, and on to the nearby stars. But SpaceCorp is not your typical action & adventure space exploration story. Billions of years of adaptation to life on Earth have left mankind technically and biologically unsuited for life among the stars.
The first challenge is in establishing a permanent human presence in Low Earth Orbit. This is no mean task given the density of space junk—the Kessler Syndrome—that rendered conventional spacecraft uninsurable by 2028. Satellites were still desperately needed, but nobody could afford to fly equipment costing hundreds of millions of dollars when space junk could destroy it in less than a month. It took a visionary corporation like SpaceCorp to see the solution in the SSS Werhner Von Braun, vanguard of a fleet of giant space stations whose thick hulls defend their technology from debris while harboring permanent human crews to make the continuous repairs needed for survival.
But while chemical rockets built the Von Braun, they were not suitable for trips beyond the Moon. Manned exploration of the inner solar system would require nuclear thermal rockets. And trips to the outer solar system and beyond will require even more exotic technology. Robert L. Forward’s beamed core antimatter drive could theoretically get us to half the speed of light—Alpha Centauri in a decade—presuming we could develop and store antimatter for rocket fuel without blowing ourselves and our planet to bits. It might be simpler and safer to develop an Alcubierre warp drive. A warp drive would allow us to exceed the light speed barrier. At 10 c, a trip to Alpha Centauri would take less than a year depending on acceleration and deceleration times. (NASA implemented nuclear rockets in the 1970s and is studying antimatter and warp drives.)
Hardware is not the only challenge. Homo sapiens would need some genetic engineering to withstand the radiation of interplanetary and interstellar space. Such engineering would result in a new species unable to breed with its human forebears, but while Homo galacticus may be biologically do-able, would he be socially acceptable?
Dystopias are a popular source of guilty pleasure in the literature, but their social value only comes from showing us how today’s trends could lead our planet to dystopian ruin. SpaceCorp is neither shy nor apologetic in exposing the villains. Ignorance, overpopulation, tribalism, xenophobia, depleted resources, and rising sea levels combine to create social and political stresses no government can deal with. Few individuals are courageous enough to run for office in a world where assassinations are more cost-effective than attack ads. It is small wonder that the erudite citizens of SpaceCorp are motivated to abandon Earth in favor of colonization among the stars. But where people climb mountains not for profit, but because they are there, the same could be said of space exploration. Even if faraway planets were made of solid gold, you’d go out of business transporting it back to Earth. But in the Galactican Series, you will see how the people of SpaceCorp discover something far more valuable than gold. Something that can be harvested from distant planets without depleting them. Something that makes it worth a one-way trip.
The first challenge is in establishing a permanent human presence in Low Earth Orbit. This is no mean task given the density of space junk—the Kessler Syndrome—that rendered conventional spacecraft uninsurable by 2028. Satellites were still desperately needed, but nobody could afford to fly equipment costing hundreds of millions of dollars when space junk could destroy it in less than a month. It took a visionary corporation like SpaceCorp to see the solution in the SSS Werhner Von Braun, vanguard of a fleet of giant space stations whose thick hulls defend their technology from debris while harboring permanent human crews to make the continuous repairs needed for survival.
But while chemical rockets built the Von Braun, they were not suitable for trips beyond the Moon. Manned exploration of the inner solar system would require nuclear thermal rockets. And trips to the outer solar system and beyond will require even more exotic technology. Robert L. Forward’s beamed core antimatter drive could theoretically get us to half the speed of light—Alpha Centauri in a decade—presuming we could develop and store antimatter for rocket fuel without blowing ourselves and our planet to bits. It might be simpler and safer to develop an Alcubierre warp drive. A warp drive would allow us to exceed the light speed barrier. At 10 c, a trip to Alpha Centauri would take less than a year depending on acceleration and deceleration times. (NASA implemented nuclear rockets in the 1970s and is studying antimatter and warp drives.)
Hardware is not the only challenge. Homo sapiens would need some genetic engineering to withstand the radiation of interplanetary and interstellar space. Such engineering would result in a new species unable to breed with its human forebears, but while Homo galacticus may be biologically do-able, would he be socially acceptable?
Dystopias are a popular source of guilty pleasure in the literature, but their social value only comes from showing us how today’s trends could lead our planet to dystopian ruin. SpaceCorp is neither shy nor apologetic in exposing the villains. Ignorance, overpopulation, tribalism, xenophobia, depleted resources, and rising sea levels combine to create social and political stresses no government can deal with. Few individuals are courageous enough to run for office in a world where assassinations are more cost-effective than attack ads. It is small wonder that the erudite citizens of SpaceCorp are motivated to abandon Earth in favor of colonization among the stars. But where people climb mountains not for profit, but because they are there, the same could be said of space exploration. Even if faraway planets were made of solid gold, you’d go out of business transporting it back to Earth. But in the Galactican Series, you will see how the people of SpaceCorp discover something far more valuable than gold. Something that can be harvested from distant planets without depleting them. Something that makes it worth a one-way trip.
- GenresScience FictionFiction
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 10, 2014
16 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 21, 2015
I'll never forget the summer afternoon in 1987 when I watched the NASA documentary The Dream Is Alive at the IMAX theater at the Museum of Science and Industry Museum in Chicago. An awe-struck 5-year-old, I watched a breathtaking shuttle launch spanning my entire field of vision, powerful speakers pumping the rumble of ignition through my thin chest cavity. A tower of light and smoke ascended into the sky, curving upward as the two rocket boosters disengaged and fell toward earth. The film was breathtaking, awesome, and for me, life changing.
THE DREAM IS ALIVE inspired me in a way nothing ever had before or since. Though I realized by middle school I lacked the prerequisite aptitude for math and science to become an astronaut, my love for space remained and fueled my reading interest as a child and now as an adult. SpaceCorp summoned in me that same love of space that I felt as a child. The novel frequently references THE DREAM, and each and every time, I could not help but remember my own first taste of that same dream in cinematic form.
Set in a dystopian future where the United States is on the verge of fragmentation, political assassinations are commonplace, and the world is beset with apathetic leadership and rogue nation states, SpaceCorp paints an all-too-plausible picture of a bleak future for planet Earth. Only SpaceCorp, a business that functions more as a corporate quasi-state, has a real solution to the problems that plague Earth: moving humans toward becoming a space-faring society.
Filled with specifics and technical details (sometimes to a fault) SpaceCorp provides a roadmap for humanity to reach the stars. Author Ejner Fulsang, aided his incredibly accomplished career as a Captain in the Army, research scientist, and technical writer for NASA, provides a tour de force of scientific accuracy and believability that make SpaceCorp some of the best hard science fiction I've ever read. Dense at times, not always easy to digest for my admittedly non-scientific brain, I found the book fascinating, compelling, and even at times frightening.
My only substantive compliant with the story (and this is common to "big idea" science fiction) is that the characterization and development of the same wasn't as robust as I might have liked. I wanted more human connection, in particular to "Mack" the self-styled genius driver behind SpaceCorp's advancement into nuclear rocket powered space stations. I wanted a closer narrative lens. That said, writers (I write fiction myself) are notoriously critical of other writer's work.
As a work of hard science fiction, SpaceCorp is unique in its emphasis on the PROCESS of how we might someday reach for the stars. Most hard science fiction stories set in space assume that as a fait accompli. Kudos to Fulsang for telling this less-common story and making it both believable and aspirational.
This exchange in the first third of the book summarizes the ethos of the novel:
"But there's not money to be made in the stars!" Jason said.
"Give the man a prize! You don't go to the stars to make money. You go to the stars for the %#*@ of it! Because you can. Because they're there!"
Amen to that.
Those who demand accurate, cutting edge science will LOVE SpaceCorp. I look forward to the rest of the series and any other work by Mr. Fulsang.
THE DREAM IS ALIVE inspired me in a way nothing ever had before or since. Though I realized by middle school I lacked the prerequisite aptitude for math and science to become an astronaut, my love for space remained and fueled my reading interest as a child and now as an adult. SpaceCorp summoned in me that same love of space that I felt as a child. The novel frequently references THE DREAM, and each and every time, I could not help but remember my own first taste of that same dream in cinematic form.
Set in a dystopian future where the United States is on the verge of fragmentation, political assassinations are commonplace, and the world is beset with apathetic leadership and rogue nation states, SpaceCorp paints an all-too-plausible picture of a bleak future for planet Earth. Only SpaceCorp, a business that functions more as a corporate quasi-state, has a real solution to the problems that plague Earth: moving humans toward becoming a space-faring society.
Filled with specifics and technical details (sometimes to a fault) SpaceCorp provides a roadmap for humanity to reach the stars. Author Ejner Fulsang, aided his incredibly accomplished career as a Captain in the Army, research scientist, and technical writer for NASA, provides a tour de force of scientific accuracy and believability that make SpaceCorp some of the best hard science fiction I've ever read. Dense at times, not always easy to digest for my admittedly non-scientific brain, I found the book fascinating, compelling, and even at times frightening.
My only substantive compliant with the story (and this is common to "big idea" science fiction) is that the characterization and development of the same wasn't as robust as I might have liked. I wanted more human connection, in particular to "Mack" the self-styled genius driver behind SpaceCorp's advancement into nuclear rocket powered space stations. I wanted a closer narrative lens. That said, writers (I write fiction myself) are notoriously critical of other writer's work.
As a work of hard science fiction, SpaceCorp is unique in its emphasis on the PROCESS of how we might someday reach for the stars. Most hard science fiction stories set in space assume that as a fait accompli. Kudos to Fulsang for telling this less-common story and making it both believable and aspirational.
This exchange in the first third of the book summarizes the ethos of the novel:
"But there's not money to be made in the stars!" Jason said.
"Give the man a prize! You don't go to the stars to make money. You go to the stars for the %#*@ of it! Because you can. Because they're there!"
Amen to that.
Those who demand accurate, cutting edge science will LOVE SpaceCorp. I look forward to the rest of the series and any other work by Mr. Fulsang.
November 16, 2019
Great subject matter and some awesome ideas. The book suffers a bit in plotting and characterization though. And be prepared for long sections where the main characters stand around and explain science to each other via dialogue, because the author wants to explain the science to the reader.
Finally, the end material reads like a snobby lecture to eager undergraduates about how space exploration *will* be done over the course of the next 200 years. The author freely attributes all the ideas he's proposing to (the people who I assume are) their original authors/proponents. But he seems to discount the possibility that someone else will come up with a new idea anytime over this period that will fundamentally change the human race's approach to solar and/or extra-solar exploration.
I found the book via a note in the rule book of the board game inspired by Fulsang's writings (SpaceCorp 2025-2300AD, available from GMT Games). I'll probably continue reading this series, but so far: I like the board game better.
Finally, the end material reads like a snobby lecture to eager undergraduates about how space exploration *will* be done over the course of the next 200 years. The author freely attributes all the ideas he's proposing to (the people who I assume are) their original authors/proponents. But he seems to discount the possibility that someone else will come up with a new idea anytime over this period that will fundamentally change the human race's approach to solar and/or extra-solar exploration.
I found the book via a note in the rule book of the board game inspired by Fulsang's writings (SpaceCorp 2025-2300AD, available from GMT Games). I'll probably continue reading this series, but so far: I like the board game better.
October 18, 2019
Having played the game before I read this book, I was expecting so much more. Was expecting at least to get beyond LEO.
The pacing was slow and the plot was not really space based as much as political dystopia. Sure there is space stuff but besides an attempted murder and a couple of missiles attacking a space station I felt they talked about space more than being in space.
The discussion of changing humans to meet space seems a bit of a cop out. I wanted to see more technology that enabled humans as opposed to technology to change humans. I also feel that the author takes a pretty dim view in our ability to develop technology. But with the current anti-science sentiment running through one of the political parties I can see where it comes from.
As a huge space junky, I will read Cislunar someday but maybe when there is a few more of these books so that we can get to at least the first phase of the game (Mariners).
The pacing was slow and the plot was not really space based as much as political dystopia. Sure there is space stuff but besides an attempted murder and a couple of missiles attacking a space station I felt they talked about space more than being in space.
The discussion of changing humans to meet space seems a bit of a cop out. I wanted to see more technology that enabled humans as opposed to technology to change humans. I also feel that the author takes a pretty dim view in our ability to develop technology. But with the current anti-science sentiment running through one of the political parties I can see where it comes from.
As a huge space junky, I will read Cislunar someday but maybe when there is a few more of these books so that we can get to at least the first phase of the game (Mariners).
December 22, 2017
Reads a bit like a technical paper, with characters. In a good way. I enjoyed SpaceCorp a lot. It is dry reading for sure, as it's heavy on science and light on character development. Book two is already on my Kindle to be read.
May 25, 2020
Fascinating hard science speculation about a near future in which the earth develops spacefaring capacity. Great stuff that almost makes up for the ham fisted dialogue, wooden characters, and goofy politics. Almost
October 13, 2017
This book is about (possible way to) explore Solar System even if it looks like it's about 'The Sat Company'. Example: Author just forgets about Supreme Leader's threats...
February 25, 2020
The writer is more ambitious than capable.
February 19, 2015
Earth is dying. Government in America is dead. Marauding bands of thugs rule the country. Can mankind find its salvation in the stars--in a fleet of giant space stations poised to colonize asteroids and other planets? Deadly space debris and The Supreme Leader of Iran suggest the odds are long.
Ejner Fulsang's background as a NASA tech writer is well evident in this technofiction tale about Man's last hope. His extensive grasp of space technology gives this book an unimpeachable credibility. I strongly recommend SpaceCorp for those who like a good apocalyptic yarn.
Ejner Fulsang's background as a NASA tech writer is well evident in this technofiction tale about Man's last hope. His extensive grasp of space technology gives this book an unimpeachable credibility. I strongly recommend SpaceCorp for those who like a good apocalyptic yarn.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews