Talk:Sunjammer

Novels: Short story / Sci-fi Low‑importance

	Novels portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Novels, an attempt to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to novels, novellas, novelettes and short stories on Wikipedia. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the project and contribute to the general Project discussion to talk over new ideas and suggestions.NovelsWikipedia:WikiProject NovelsTemplate:WikiProject Novelsnovel
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
	This article is supported by Short story task force.
	This article is supported by Science fiction task force.

Scouting Low‑importance

	Scouting portal Sunjammer is part of the Scouting WikiProject, an effort to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to Scouting and Guiding on the Wikipedia. This includes but is not limited to boy and girl organizations, WAGGGS and WOSM organizations as well as those not so affiliated, country and region-specific topics, and anything else related to Scouting. If you would like to participate, you can edit the article attached to this page, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and/or contribute to the discussion.ScoutingWikipedia:WikiProject ScoutingTemplate:WikiProject ScoutingScouting
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.

Boys' Life

I was a Boy Scout in 1964, and eagerly awaited each copy of Boy's Life. The March 1964 edition included the short story Sunjammer, by Arthur C. Clarke. It also had a beautiful cover with a picture of a single-man sun-yatch, sail unfurled, as the pilot operated the controls to align the sail with the "wind from the sun." To this day I remember I read the story from start to finish in one sitting. It was a thrilling story with enough technical detail to fascinate this young lad of 14. At that point in my young life, I had already announced to my parents that I was going to be an aerospace engineer, and I made that announcement a few years earlier on a hot, muggy August evening as my brothers, sister, parents and I scanned the evening sky for a bright point of light called Echo. I announced that I wanted to be one those men who worked on Echo. I thought that would be the most fascinating and wonderful journey I could make through life.

Today, I am a practicing aerospace engineer, the last 10 years with Lockheed Martin in Sunyvale, CA. I spent the 24 years after I graduated from Texas A&M and was commissioned an officer as an astronautical engineer with the US Air Force, developing and building satellites. Sunjammer contributed to my ideal about this occupation. To date, I have not been disappointed. The journey continues.

Tim Crews, Sunnyvale, CA

Duality

This is an edit in progress, right now, 13:14, 19 May 2015 (UTC). Please help complete the duality. Thanks.

I also was a Boy Scout in 1964. All Boy Scouts received a subscription to the monthly magazine Boy's Life, which regularly published science ficition by the best writers, such as Clarke and Robert A. Heinlein. I also subscribed to Analog Science Fiction and Fact. In the same month both published a story titled Sunjammer. The one in Analog was by Poul Anderson. Anderson's stature as a science fiction writer is nearly as high as Clarke's. Today, May 19,2015, I read a news story about the planed launch this week of a solar sail powered satellite. Only 51 years after I first read about them! I remembered both stories, but thought they were both in Analog. I have all of my Analogs, over 600 of them on a shelf I am facing as I type this. I found the Anderson stroy in seconds. I am glad I came here. I bought a copy of the issue of Boys' Life, and will edit more here when I have time, in the next few days. Nick Beeson (talk) 13:15, 19 May 2015 (UTC)[reply]