"Sunjammer" is a
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imagination, imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, Paral ...
short story
A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...
by British writer
Arthur C. Clarke
Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science-fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host.
He co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A Spac ...
, originally published in the March 1964 issue of ''
Boys' Life
''Scout Life'' (formerly ''Boys' Life'') is the monthly magazine of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Its target readers are boys and girls between the ages of 6 and 18. The magazine‘s headquarters are in Irving, Texas.
''Scout Life'' is pub ...
'',.
[Short Stories]
. ''Arthurcclarke.net'', 2007-2011, retrieved June 22, 2011 The story has also been published under the title "The Wind from the Sun" in Clarke's 1972
collection of short stories with this title. It depicts a yacht race between solar sail spacecraft.
Plot summary
John Merton, a
spaceship designer, develops and promotes a lightweight spacecraft with a large area of
solar sail
Solar sails (also known as light sails and photon sails) are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large mirrors. A number of spaceflight missions to test solar propulsion and navigation have been ...
, to be powered entirely by
radiation pressure
Radiation pressure is the mechanical pressure exerted upon any surface due to the exchange of momentum between the object and the electromagnetic field. This includes the momentum of light or electromagnetic radiation of any wavelength that is a ...
, a pressure exerted on a surface illuminated by light-particles (
photon
A photon () is an elementary particle that is a quantum of the electromagnetic field, including electromagnetic radiation such as light and radio waves, and the force carrier for the electromagnetic force. Photons are Massless particle, massless ...
s) from the Sun — this is distinct from, and much greater than, pressure developed on the surface by the
solar wind
The solar wind is a stream of charged particles released from the upper atmosphere of the Sun, called the corona. This plasma mostly consists of electrons, protons and alpha particles with kinetic energy between . The composition of the ...
from the sun. The sun-yachts start their journey in Earth's orbit, and, pushed simply by
sunlight, can achieve a speed of two thousand miles an hour within a day.
The concept leads to the development of the sport of sun-yacht racing, and after several years of refining his ideas, Merton competes in what will be his final race. His hopes for victory rest on the low mass of his craft which he has made possible through advances in automation enabling him to fly it solo.
Soon, all but two of the competitors have dropped out, mainly due to damaged craft, and it is a straight race between Merton's craft and ''
Lebedev Lebedev (russian: Ле́бедев), or Lebedeva (feminine; Ле́бедева) is a common Russian family name derived from the word лебедь (''lebed'', meaning "swan").
Geographical distribution
As of 2014, 83.5% of all known bearers of th ...
'', entered by a Russian crew from the University of Astrograd. Although the ''Lebedev'' is lagging Merton's yacht, its senior pilot delivers a surprise blow by announcing that he plans to jettison his co-pilot in an escape capsule now that the earlier, navigationally intensive part of the race has finished.
Merton responds by recalculating his expected margin of victory and realises that the race is now going to be neck-and-neck at the finish line. At this point news arrives of a massive, and potentially deadly,
solar flare
A solar flare is an intense localized eruption of electromagnetic radiation in the Sun's atmosphere. Flares occur in active regions and are often, but not always, accompanied by coronal mass ejections, solar particle events, and other sola ...
. The race has to be abandoned, and there is no winner, though Merton abandons his craft with its sail still fully extended in order to ensure that it will be blown into
interstellar space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, predo ...
.
Reception
Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim (October 1, 1914 – November 2, 1990) was an American science fiction editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell, Martin Pearso ...
and
Terry Carr selected the story for ''
World's Best Science Fiction: 1966''. When reviewing the collection,
Algis Budrys
Algirdas Jonas "Algis" Budrys (January 9, 1931 – June 9, 2008) was a Lithuanian-American science fiction author, editor, and critic. He was also known under the pen names Frank Mason, Alger Rome (in collaboration with Jerome Bixby), John ...
praised the story as an example of "good, solid science fiction ... the kind of story which justifies the existence of science fiction as a genre."
Planned 2014 solar sail mission
NASA planned to launch a solar sail technology demonstration mission titled
'Sunjammer'. The title is a reference to the story.
The mission was cancelled in October 2014.
See also
*
Mike Oldfield
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
used the title "Sunjammer" for the fifth movement of his ''
Tubular Bells II
''Tubular Bells II'' is the fifteenth studio album by English guitarist and songwriter Mike Oldfield. It was released on 31 August 1992 by Warner Music UK and is the successor to his debut album ''Tubular Bells'' (1973). After his contract with ...
'' album. Oldfield has also used other Arthur C. Clarke titles as basis for his music, such as ''
The Songs of Distant Earth
''The Songs of Distant Earth'' is a 1986 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, based upon his 1958 short story of the same title. He stated that it was his favourite of all his novels. Clarke also wrote a short step ...
'' for his ''
The Songs of Distant Earth
''The Songs of Distant Earth'' is a 1986 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, based upon his 1958 short story of the same title. He stated that it was his favourite of all his novels. Clarke also wrote a short step ...
'' album.
*The ''
Doctor Who'' serial ''
Enlightenment
Enlightenment or enlighten may refer to:
Age of Enlightenment
* Age of Enlightenment, period in Western intellectual history from the late 17th to late 18th century, centered in France but also encompassing (alphabetically by country or culture): ...
'' also used a solar sail race as the basis for its plot.
*
Poul Anderson
Poul William Anderson (November 25, 1926 – July 31, 2001) was an American fantasy and science fiction author who was active from the 1940s until the 21st century. Anderson wrote also historical novels. His awards include seven Hugo Awards and ...
, writing as Winston P. Sanders, published an apparently unrelated story under the title "Sunjammer" almost simultaneously in ''
Analog Science Fiction / Science Fact'' in April 1964. It depicts a maintenance crew, servicing space-freighters powered by light sails.
*A modified version of the narrative appears in ''
The Last Theorem
''The Last Theorem'' is a 2008 science fiction novel by Arthur C. Clarke and Frederik Pohl. It was first published in the United Kingdom by HarperVoyager in July 2008, and in the United States by Del Rey Books in August 2008. The book is ...
'', Clarke's final novel, which was co-written by
Frederik Pohl
Frederik George Pohl Jr. (; November 26, 1919 – September 2, 2013) was an American science-fiction writer, editor, and fan, with a career spanning nearly 75 years—from his first published work, the 1937 poem "Elegy to a Dead Satellite ...
. In this version the (female) protagonist is abducted by aliens during the race.
The *
Explorers (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) Episode in Season 3, Episode 22, featured Captain Sisko and his son Jake flying a reconstruction of an ancient Bajoran ship that used sails to capture the solar winds to propel it.
References
*Clarke, Arthur C. ''The Best of Arthur C Clarke''; 1956–1972. Published 1973.
External links
* {{isfdb title, 72206
The Cosmos 1 CD launched with
Cosmos 1
Cosmos 1 was a project by Cosmos Studios and The Planetary Society to test a solar sail in space. As part of the project, an unmanned solar-sail spacecraft named ''Cosmos 1'' was launched into space at 19:46:09 UTC (15:46:09 EDT) on 21 June ...
, includes the full text of "The Wind from the Sun" and other
solar sail
Solar sails (also known as light sails and photon sails) are a method of spacecraft propulsion using radiation pressure exerted by sunlight on large mirrors. A number of spaceflight missions to test solar propulsion and navigation have been ...
writings.
The Wind From The Sun / Sunjammercomic strip version, by Olivier Boisard.
1964 short stories
Short stories by Arthur C. Clarke
Works originally published in Boys' Life