It is really important to me that all of you learn about Al Bean, astronaut on Apollo 12 and the fourth man to walk on the moon, who after 20 years in the US Navy and 18 years with NASA during which he spent 69 days in space and more than 10 hours doing EVAs on the moon , retired to become a painter.
He is my favorite astronaut for any number of reasons, but he’s also one of my favorite visual artists.
Like, look at this stuff????
It’s all so expressive and textured and colorful! He literally painted his own experience on the moon! And that’s just really fucking cool to me!
Just look at this! This is one of my absolute favorite emotions of all time. Is Anyone Out There? is like the ultimate reaction image. Any time I have an existential crisis, this is how I picture myself.
And then there’s this one:
The Fantasy
For all of the six Apollo missions to land on the moon, there was no spare time. Every second of their time on the surface was budgeted to perfection: sleeping, eating, putting on the suits, entering and exiting the LEM, rock collection, setting up longterm experiments to transmit data back to Earth, everything. These timetables usually got screwed over by something, but for the most part the astronauts stuck to them.
The crew of Apollo 12 (Pete Conrad, Al Bean, and Dick Gordon) had other plans. Conrad and Bean had snuck a small camera with a timer into the LEM to take a couple pictures together on the moon throughout the mission. They had hidden the key for the timer in one of the rock collection bags, with the idea being to grab the key soon after landing, take some fun photos here and there, and then sneak the camera back to Earth to develop them. They had practiced where they would hide the key and how to get it out from under the collected rocks back on Earth dozens of times.
But when they got to the moon, the key was nowhere to be found. Al Bean spent precious time digging through the collection bags before he called it off. The camera had been pushing their luck anyways, he couldn’t afford to spend anymore time not on the mission objectives. Conrad and Bean continued the mission as per the NASA plan while Dick Gordon orbited overhead.
Fast forward to the very end of the mission. Bean and Conrad are doing last checks of the LEM before they enter for the last time and depart from the moon. As Bean is stowing one of the collection bags, the camera key falls out. The unofficially planned photo time has come and gone, and he tosses the key over his shoulder to rest forever on the surface of the moon.
This painting, The Fantasy, is that moment. There have never been three people on the moon at the same time, there was never an unofficial photo shoot on the moon, this picture could never have happened.
“The most experienced astronaut was designated commander, in charge of all aspects of the mission, including flying the lunar module. Prudent thinking suggested that the next-most-experienced crew member be assigned to take care of the command module, since it was our only way back home. Pete had flown two Gemini flights, the second with Dick as his crewmate. This left the least experienced – me – to accompany the commander on the lunar surface.
"I was the rookie. I had not flown at all; yet I got the prize assignment. But not once during the three years of training which preceded our mission did Dick say that it wasn’t fair and that he wished he could walk on the moon, too. I do not have his unwavering discipline or strength of character.
"We often fantasized about Dick’s joining us on the moon but we never found a way. In my paintings, though, I can have it my way. Now, at last, our best friend has come the last sixty miles.” – Al Bean, about TheFantasy.
There’s also Alexei Leonov, writer and artist and first person to conduct a spacewalk!
First, this TV show I’m about to write about is online! And free! (With ads, in the US.) It’s worth hopping in just to poke around in this weird and very Canadian science fiction anthology show from the 90s.
That said, I finished watching The Outer Limits (1995) and I’m really torn on how to proceed. I’m glad I watched it after all these years of vague memories from its syndication run, and there are some stand-out episodes which I will write about here, but I also want to… do more. And this is after spending the past month ‘n a half editing the poorly maintained wiki for it because I needed this information to be properly sorted and laid out. I mean, at the very least, there ought to be an online collection of all of the Control Voice’s narration. It’s like a book of Psalms or Proverbs when it’s all put together. I think a podcast would be neat, but I gotta figure out that workload.
For now, let me jot down the episodes that stood out to me. I grouped my recommendations into broad categories of episodes but there’s a lot of overlap in themes and settings:
Space!: If it’s an episode beyond Earth, out in space somewhere, I’m in. I don’t care about the individual quality of a given space episode, I’ll watch it again, even if it’s really just a bottle show on a small spaceship set or an “alien” planet that looks a lot like British Columbia.
Quality of Mercy Season 1, Episode 13 A fighter pilot is taken prisoner during an intergalactic war.
The Voyage Home Season 1, Episode 15 An alien from Mars hitches a ride aboard a returning space capsule.
The Light Brigade Season 2, Episode 18 Five astronauts attempt to save humanity from destruction.
Tempests Season 3, Episode 9 While bringing medicine to his plague-infested colony, an astronaut enters alternate realities after his ship crashes.
Relativity Theory Season 4, Episode 6 A biologist discovers a race of aliens but loses control of her ship to a mutinous crew.
The Human Operators Season 5, Episode 7 A woman inspires an enslaved man to rebel.
Abaddon Season 6, Episode 14 A space salvage crew gets a deadly history lesson from a genocidal militia leader supposedly executed 150 years earlier.
Rule of Law Season 7, Episode 17 A judge tries to establish law and order on a remote alien mining colony.
Aliens be invading: Whether friend or foe, aliens show up on Earth often, which ya gotta do if you’re science fiction in the 90s.
Sandkings Season 1, Episode 1 A scientist searches for a way to continue his experiments when the top-secret government project he is working on is shut down.
The Deprogrammers Season 2, Episode 16 A rebel leader concocts a plan for freedom on a dark future Earth that has been conquered and programmed for slavery by aliens.
Bodies of Evidence Season 3, Episode 16 When the crew members of a space station die, the captain is accused of murder.
Feasibility Study Season 3, Episode 17 Aliens take a human community into space to see if they will make good slaves.
Promised Land Season 4, Episode 21 Human survivors terrorize a handful of aliens who remain on Earth after an interplanetary war.
The Grell Season 5, Episode 4 A government official and his family are shot down over slave territory.
Ripper Season 5, Episode 11 A doctor in Victorian London discovers Jack the Ripper is an alien.
Star Crossed Season 5, Episode 21 Cosmic “Casablanca” tale of a cynical cafe owner who encounters an old flame in a world dominated by alien invaders.
Something About Harry Season 6, Episode 18 A youth becomes suspicious of his mother’s new boarder when three townspeople suddenly disappear.
Think Like a Dinosaur Season 7, Episode 8 A space station technician lives with aliens to learn the secrets of long-distance space travel.
That good time body horror: Genetic modification, mutations, horrible surgeries, you know the deal.
The New Breed Season 1, Episode 16 A scientist’s experimental potion yields disastrous results when his close friend decides to test it upon himself.
Afterlife Season 2, Episode 15 A convicted murderer agrees to participate in a secret military experiment to avoid being executed.
Double Helix Season 3, Episode 12 A reckless scientist’s experiments initiate a close encounter.
Music of the Spheres Season 3, Episode 14 A music broadcast from distant planets turns young listeners on Earth into something alien.
The Joining Season 4, Episode 13 To survive in a hostile environment, a scientist combines his DNA with that from creatures from Venus.
Leave those brains alone: Often done as an exploration via virtual reality, but also mind control, this is about diving into people’s minds and messing with them.
The Sentence Season 2, Episode 22 A doctor invents a virtual reality device that allows convicts to mentally serve a life sentence in a few hours.
Hearts and Minds Season 4, Episode 3 Soldiers battle insectlike aliens trying to steal an energy source from Earth.
Nightmare Season 4, Episode 20 A voice interrogates aliens’ captives and probes their weaknesses.
Don’t make robots, dummy: People were broadly scared of robots in a way that’s very different from our current AI nightmares. There was also often an inversion of the theme, asking “who’s the real soulless automaton?”
I, Robot Season 1, Episode 18 A humanoid robot is accused of murdering its creator.
The Camp Season 3, Episode 7 A prisoner learns the truth about the alien invaders that have enslaved mankind for centuries.
The Hunt Season 4, Episode 2 After animal hunting is banned, sportsmen hunt androids which are no longer useful.
Simon Says Season 6, Episode 8 A man builds a robot to replace his deceased son.
Can’t the AI do it?: What if robots but they don’t have a body.
Bits of Love Season 3, Episode 1 The lone survivor of a devastating war meets again with a holographic lover.
Stream of Consciousness Season 3, Episode 5 A virus program threatens a computer-controlled society of the future.
The Haven Season 5, Episode 15 A high-tech building malfunctions disastrously, compelling its previously isolated inhabitants to work together to get free.
Don’t time travel either, dummy: Not all time travel episodes have a bad outcome, but they do all agree that you just shouldn’t do it even if you could go back and kill baby Hitler.
A man’s life disintegrates as he inexplicably moves from one world to another.
In Another Life Season 4, Episode 4 A suicidal man is transported to another dimension to kill a homicidal alter ego.
Tribunal Season 5, Episode 12 A concentration camp survivor relies on a time traveler to bring a Nazi war criminal to justice.
Doom: Why focus on one’s own mortality when the extinction of the species is on the table?
Inconstant Moon Season 2, Episode 12 A lonely physics professor discovers the sun is burning out and uses the Earth’s final hours to make up for lost time.
Dark Rain Season 3, Episode 6 Two parents try to prevent a government agency from using their healthy newborn in a plan to repopulate mankind.
Deadman’s Switch Season 3, Episode 13 A soldier inhabits a bunker with doomsday devices as aliens land on Earth.
The Vaccine Season 4, Episode 11 A dozen survivors of a fatal plague must decide who will get the only three vaccinations available.
Lithia Season 4, Episode 17 A man held in suspended animation reawakens on a planet inhabited only by women.
Phobos Rising Season 4, Episode 24 Soldiers on Mars fear an explosion on Earth marks the end of a long truce between opposing alliances.
Summit Season 5, Episode 13 Negotiators for Earth and Gregocia, a planet inhabited by a genetically engineered race, try to build trust after a summit goes wrong.
Stasis Season 6, Episode 9 Two lovers living in an oppressive future society try to connect even though they’ve only seen each other as holograms.
I’m not paranoid, just saying: A lot of this show is a response to the popularity of The X-Files, and many episodes directly deal with fear of… well, all of it. *waves arms around*
To Tell the Truth Season 4, Episode 14 No one believes a discredited scientist when he claims that the world must be evacuated.
Alien Radio Season 5, Episode 1 A radio host pooh-poohs callers’ UFO encounters until one caller kills himself.
Manifest Destiny Season 6, Episode 4 A rescue crew starts going suicidally insane after boarding a derelict interplanetary battleship.
Down to Earth Season 6, Episode 10 A mysterious stranger who claims to have a piece of an alien spaceship causes paranoia and chaos at a UFO convention.
Decompression Season 6, Episode 13 A mysterious woman visits a presidential candidate on his plane, saying she has come from the future to save his life.
Zig Zag Season 6, Episode 19 A cybercolumnist leads a daring attack against supercomputers that have taken control of society.
Nest Season 6, Episode 20 A pair of old buddies must overcome their haunted past while battling a strange infestation at an Arctic research station.
It wrinkles my brain that Jupiter’s moon Europa has oceans that are sixty miles deep, while Earth’s oceans only reach seven miles deep at most. I’m willing to bet good money that there’s life in Europa’s oceans. Like five bucks. You hear me, NASA? I bet you five bucks that there’s life on Europa… Now that there’s money and reputation on the line, I bet they send a mission there real quick.
I have no idea when this was originally posted, but NASA is working on their Europa mission RIGHT NOW to look for alien life! But get this, they theorize that because of the depth, gravity, and composition of the oceans, any organisms that lived there would be waaay bigger than aquatic life on Earth. So far everything’s going well with regards to their Europa mission so they should have a spacecraft on its way to look for giant sea monsters in space in only a few years. (The planned date is in the early 2020s.)
Looks like my negotiations worked. You’re welcome, humanity.
I’ve never been gripped with such cold terror and pure delight in my LIFE
explaining to an 18th century sailor that we’re looking for sea monsters in space.
Please let there be sea monsters in space Please let there be sea monsters in space Please let there be sea monsters in space Please let there be sea monsters in space Please let there be sea monsters in space Please let there be sea monsters in space
With October just around the corner, NASA has released its latest Galaxy of Horrors posters. Presented in the style of vintage horror movie advertisements. As fun and creative as all three posters are, they’re based on real phenomena. 🎃
Can you hear this exoplanet screaming?
As HD 80606 b approaches its star from an extreme, elliptical orbit, it suffers star-grazing torture that causes howling, supersonic winds and shockwave storms across the planet. Its torturous journey boils its atmosphere to a hellish 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit every 111 days, roasting both its light and dark sides. HD 80606b will never escape this scorching nightmare.
This bone-chilling force will leave you shivering alone in terror!
An unseen power is prowling throughout the cosmos, driving the universe to expand at a quickening rate. This relentless pressure, called dark energy, is nothing like dark matter, that mysterious material only revealed by its gravitational pull. Dark energy offers a bigger fright: pushing galaxies farther apart over trillions of years, leaving the universe to an inescapable, freezing death in the pitch black expanse of outer space.
Cygnus X-1 Presents:
It’s Dinner Time and You’re The Meal!
Lurking in our galaxy, approximately 6,000 light-years from Earth, is a monster named CygnusX-1. This black hole, which has about 14.8 times the mass of our Sun, will stretch and squeeze anything it captures in its immense gravity. Cygnus X-1 is waiting, snacking on its neighboring star. Don’t get too close, or you’ll become its next meal!
This chillingly haunted galaxy mysteriously stopped making stars only a few billion years after the Big Bang! It became a cosmic cemetery, illuminated by the red glow of decaying stars. Dare to enter, and you might encounter the frightening corpses of exoplanets or the final death throes of once-mighty stars.
Something strange and mysterious creeps throughout the cosmos. Scientists call it dark matter. It is scattered in an intricate web that forms the skeleton of our universe. Dark matter is invisible, only revealing its presence by pushing and pulling on objects we can see. NASA’s Roman Space Telescope will investigate its secrets. What will be revealed?
In the depths of the universe, the cores of two collapsed stars violently merge to release a burst of the deadliest and most powerful form of light, known as gamma rays. These beams of doom are unleashed upon their unfortunate surroundings, shining a million trillion times brighter than the Sun for up to 30 terrifying seconds. No spaceship will shield you from the blinding destruction of the gamma ray ghouls!
These doomed worlds were among the first and creepiest to be discovered as they orbit an undead star known as a pulsar. Pulsar planets like Poltergeist and its neighboring worlds, Phobetor and Draugr, are consumed with constant radiation from the star’s core. Nothing but the undead can subsist in this most inhospitable corner of the galaxy.
This far-off blue planet may look like a friendly haven – but don’t be deceived! Weather here is deadly. The planet’s cobalt blue color comes from a hazy, blow-torched atmosphere containing clouds laced with glass. Howling winds send the storming glass sideways at 5,400 mph (2km/s), whipping all in a sickening spiral. It’s death by a million cuts on this slasher planet!
