Before I started Aerospace Projects Review, I had taken a few stabs are writing other, somewhat similar, aerospace history items. One of the earliest – and in retrospect, least sensible – ideas was to write a massively illustrated book on the Orion nuclear pulse concept. This was not a good idea at the time, because there was virtually nothing of value available on the design of Orion vehicles. That information was not to become available for a few more years yet.
Nevertheless, one of the chapters in my little Orion book was going to be about fictional depictions of Orion. One of these depictions was in Poul Andersons book “Orion Shall Rise.” Sadly, the book did not include technical schematics (a common failing amongst most novels, in fact). But I managed to get in touch with Mr. Anderson, explain my project, and trade a few things back and forth. One of the things he sent me was a pencil sketch of the Orion Shall Rise ship. I made a simple 3-D computer model of it at the time, and suggested a few minor changes; these files and illustrations have long since been lost. However, I still have Mr. Andersons letters and the sketch, so… here ya go.
4 Responses to “Orion Shall Rise”
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Thanks for posting this. As a long time fan of Poul Anderson, it’s great to find one more piece of his writings.
Anderson mentions Fred Pohl. Fred was always attentive to emerging science– still is– so I would not be surprised to find him using Orion in a story in the Sixties. Not that I can recall one.
Furthermore, I believe Fred had a paper in a symposium published in 1966:
Planetology and Space Mission Planning. The same volume has, if memory serves, an article on late Orion, an article by Robert Enzmann on his starship design, and an article by Gerald Bull on space guns. So he might have met somebody from Orion at that meeting.
Scott, I’d bet you already have a copy of that book.
If there is a Pohl story featuring Orion, Rasfw ought to turn it up.
“Planetology and Space Mission Planning. The same volume has, if memory serves, an article on late Orion, an article by Robert Enzmann on his starship design…”
I’ve got that book. Actually, three different P&SMP volumes put out by the New York Acedemy of Sciences (Volume 140, 1966; Vol 163, 1969; Vol 187, 1972). Not a one of ’em had the Enzmann starship design paper, though these books are very commonly referenced to have exactly that. It’s grating.
The 1966 volume is the most interesting. From what I’ve been able to see, in the mid-60’s there was an optimisim that was beginning to wany by 1969… and basically gone by 1972. Pohl has a short 3-page paper in the 66 version titled “The Uses of Star Flight.”
Those were the days…
Thanks for posting these, “Orion Shall Rise” is one of my favorite books by one of my favorite authors.
I’ve been flipping through my Fred Pohl books trying to find a reference to the Orion, no luck so far! But it gives me an excuse to visit other “old friends”.