![]() Even the relatively small International Space Station requires constant maintenance and resupplying. All of this must be created artificially in space, and it’s damned difficult. Plants and algae scrub carbon dioxide from our air, swamps filter gunk from our water, and gravity helps our body drain fluids properly. On Earth, there are hundreds, thousands of little processes keeping us alive that we never think about. There’s no air, no water, and no gravity, to say nothing of all that radiation. ![]() Fragility of Artificial EnvironmentsĪs anyone at NASA can tell you, keeping humans alive in space is hard. Those fortunate enough to survive must split their time between helping wounded shipmates and keeping the life support systems online. Without spoiling anything, scenes in the later books show ships slammed from high speed to near zero in seconds, causing damage to crew and mechanical systems alike. The books also make drama out of catastrophic deceleration. Now the others must decide: Do they slow down to care for their flagging comrade, thus giving up the chase? Warning lights flash when one character’s vitals drop dangerously low. The protagonists feel the weight of mountains rolling over them as the ship accelerates. More than once, Corey uses these simple physics to create harrowing scenes. Exercise is also very important, as a crew member in poor shape can force the ship to slow down at a critical moment. Instead, what’s important is how well- designed the ship’s force-absorbing crash couches are and what kind of drugs the crew has to keep themselves alive. While the engine might be capable of a g-force acceleration of ten or more, that would liquefy any humans aboard. We meat sacks can only sustain so much g-force, after all. It’s the human crew that limits how fast their ship can travel. In The Expanse, races between ships are as much about endurance as they are about speed. When the ship reaches a halfway point, it turns around and thrusts in the other direction to slow down, creating more gravity. Ships in The Expanse are built with decks perpendicular to the direction of thrust, like flying through space in an office tower with an engine in the basement. The Expanse simply asks that we accept a more efficient form of fusion drive, rather than a semi-magical warp core. While this kind of thrust isn’t available right now, it’s within the realm of possibility. Since space is big and empty, there’s nothing to stop ships from accelerating as long as they like. If a ship accelerates at 9.8 meters per second squared, anything inside it will experience an Earth-like level of gravity. If you’ve ever been pressed into your seat by an accelerating car, you know how this works. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that conceit, The Expanse goes one better: spacecraft generate gravity via the constant thrust of their engines. Most science fiction stories assume we’ll figure out how to generate artificial gravity via some kind of techno-wizardry. In zero-g, everything just floats around, and t hen there are health issues like bone loss and muscle atrophy. It drags toxic particles out of the air, keeps us going in the right direction, and makes sure coffee stays in your cup. Not only is this a cool thought exercise, but it also makes the story better. Eschewing the magic of transporters and lightsabers, The Expanse envisions a world that might actually happen. It’s also one of the most scientifically accurate novels available. It has memorable characters, robust plotting, and excellent descriptions. It’s a sprawling, epic story of political intrigue in space, with five books already out and more on the way. ![]() Corey, * with an upcoming television adaptation on Syfy. If you’re not already familiar with it, The Expanse is a science fiction series by James S.
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