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A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke5/21/2023 Using the tropes of science-fiction – with strong emphasis on “science” – the book tells of the hovercraft Selene and one of its moon cruises that doesn’t go according to plan. In keeping with Clarke’s preference for stories that highlight humanity’s diminutive size compared to the exigencies of the universe, A Fall of Moondust is novel about a group needing rescue after becoming trapped in a sea of moon dust. Not earthshaking, the novel is nonetheless a solid read for fans of the genre. Clarke speculated just what that surface might be like, and in the process wrote a sci-fi thriller rooted in scientific ideology. Writing A Fall of Moondust that year, Arthur C. Standing at night, looking up at the glowing white face of the moon, we might ask: what is it comprised of? We’ve all seen the lunar landing videos, the dusty, desiccated soil that holds the impression of boots and tires so well, but what does it feel like? How does the stuff behave? Like sand? Talcum powder? Is it powdery like sugar, or fluid like in an hourglass? In 1961 when mankind had yet to set foot on the moon, those impressions were left in a substance that existed in the imagination, only.
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