Welcome to the REAL WORLD

 This is the Gemini 12 Team, Including Griffin, Lovell, Cernan, and Gordon.

 Astronaut Alan Bean, moonwalker.

 Apollo Astronaut Richard Gordon and Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter.

 John Kovac with the Explorer Space Shuttle, and a copy of my BLACKBIRD.

     There is a fine line between fact and fiction, as I have stated before.  I have had the good fortune to be able to meet with over 35 astronauts in the USA's real space program. These great American heroes have been part of the space program all the way back to the Mercury program and even before that.  The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation event at Kennedy Space Center was a tremendous success, honoring the crew and support staff for the 45th anniversary of the Gemini 12 mission.  This was the prelude to the first Apollo space craft, and ultimately the success of the Apollo program depended on the Gemini flights.  There are thousands of pages written about the space program over the past 50 years, but nothing can compare to sitting down to a nice dinner, or breakfast, and listening to the stories told by those people who have literally gone where few others have gone before.  I felt it an honor and privilege to have the opportunity to join in the celebration of the success of the space program of all those years ago.

Star Roamer 1962

I was going through my photos of days gone by and found this black and white photo of the original Star Roamer Shortwave Radio that I built in 1962.  That project helped to inspire the chapter about Kansas in 1960. This is the only known photograph of MY radio.  I will keep looking.

Blackbird Artifacts

The past weekend was a tremendous opportunity to present Blackbird to many of my ham radio colleagues who also have had interest in the space program over the years.  The HamCon 2011 in Torrance, California was a huge success for all who attended, but for me it was the first time I could see how important my passion for ham radio and the space program is shared by so many others.  The South Bay area of Los Angeles played a major part in the space program over the past 50 years.  There is no more fitting place to launch the story Blackbird then here in the heart of that space technology boom.  It was a joy to speak with many hams who purchased the novel, and I am truly honored to have autographed the book for them. 

Here is another blast from the past that contributed to the chapter that begins: Kansas 1960

This is a page from the Allied Radio Shack Catalog that carried the advertisement for the Star Roamer Kitset Shortwave radio that was the trigger to the whole idea of shortwave listening and amateur radio as a lifelong interest.  The description of the assembly of the radio in the Blackbird story is accurate as I remember it.  The radio traveled with me to college, had a BFO (beat frequency oscillator) constructed as an addition later to allow resolution of sideband ham radio transmissions, and continued to be a source of world news for me right through my college years in Nebraska.  The fictional part of the Star Roamer story is the part about Major Tom helping repair the radio.  I actually repaired the radio myself, and my real father had no particularly good understanding of electronics at all.  His primary hobby interest was Model Railroading.

You never know how close to the truth a novel may get.  These entries are designed to be small windows into the background of the story as it has evolved over the past 50 years.  Enjoy the ride!

Blackbird flies

Here we are, nearly 4 months after publication of BLACKBIRD, and I continue to be totally amazed as the response to the story.  For those of you who read the book here are some comments:

There is a little bit of the author in every one of the characters.

I am 83 years old, and thought all of my adventures were over. But now I renewed my ham radio license and dusted off the old ham radio equipment for the start of the rest of my life!  Thanks for the motivation!

Where did you get all of that technical detail?

I told my wife to read the last line:  "Are you ready for another adventure?"  When is the next one coming?

This weekend is the HamCon 2011 Amateur Radio Convention in Torrance California at the Marriott Hotel on Fashion Circle in Torrance.  I will be there with my books, and a lot of stories to tell.  You can also read about the book in the Beach Reporter, September 8, 2011 edition. 

I am looking forward to the next adventure, too.  Who knows? We may see it on the big screen one day!

John

Blackbird wings

   Another month has passed, and Blackbird continues to fly.  There are a host of things to discuss regarding that story, but there are two comments from readers that I would like to address.  One comes from a good friend and exercise partner who recently completed reading the story.  He says, "there is a little bit of you in each of the characters."  That is an amazingly kind thing to say; something every author wants to hear.  It means someone else has seen your heart and soul in the story.  The other reader absolutely made my month!  He is 83 and also a friend and acquaintance for more than 20 years.  He said, "I am getting on in years, and was looking for some motivation in my life.  I read the story, Blackbird, and it immediately triggered my desire to have that adventure back in my life, so I renewed my expired ham radio license with the FCC."  And he came over to show me his new license.  THAT is one of the reasons I wrote the story.  There is a place for everyone in amateur radio. The multiple modes of communication can appeal to the youngest and oldest among us.  We shall see what the future brings, but I am sure of one thing:  IT WILL BE AN ADVENTURE!

Venus Flower Basket

I have not written here for a while, as I have been at work, still thinking about Blackbird and some of the details of the story.  I thought it would be interesting to reveal some of where the ideas for the Matryoshka construction came from.  In the story, General Craig explains to his men that the stealth system of the Matryoshka shuttle came from research into the Venus Flower Basket sponge from deep sea.  Here is a brief comment concerning that, with the web citation at the end, just in case you get the bug to read more about this interesting organism:

Fiber-Optic Wonder

by Ruth Tenzer Feldman

Joanna Aizenberg, a scientist and one of Earth's most complex multicellular animals, entered a San Francisco store and encountered the elegant remains of Euplectella speciosa—a deep-sea sponge and one of Earth's simplest multicellular animals. Scientist and sponge might one day revolutionize fiber-optic cables, the thread weaving together our wired world.
Fiber-optic cables are basically bundled strands of optical fibers—filaments of glass and reflective cladding that transmit coded light. These fibers are crafted under high heat using expensive equipment. Because the fibers are not very flexible, the cable is hard to install and repair, and is prone to minute cracks.
The sponge Aizenberg encountered—called Venus's flower basket and other names—transmits light through resilient, flexible glass fibers made at sea temperature. Aizenberg and her colleagues aim to find out how.
Venus's flower basket is a type of hexactinellid or glass sponge whose skeleton is composed of needlelike spicules of silica. The sponge uses proteins to collect and arrange silica particles into hairlike glass fibers two to three inches long. Traces of sodium are added, making the glass fiber better able to conduct light. Organic material and concentric shells of glass encase the fibers for protection. According to Aizenberg, “You could tie [the fibers] in tight knots and, unlike commercial fiber, they would still not crack.”
This sponge lives in tropical waters and anchors itself to the ocean floor. It likely gathers luminescent (light-emitting) organisms and turns itself into a “fiber-optic lamp” to attract the plankton that it eats. Seeking protection from predators, other creatures live inside this cuplike sponge with a lattice top. Often, a mating pair of shrimp will swim in and remain for the rest of their lives.
As scientists like Aizenberg realize, connectivity means more than communication among humans. There's a sea of information to be learned when we connect with the unwired world as well.

http://www.eduplace.com/science/hmsc/6/f/cricket/ckt_6f172.shtml

Four Weeks of Flying Blackbird

     It is amazing how gracious the readers are regarding the story.  One of the most interesting reviews came from a friend at the gym who said "the characters in the story all seem to have a little of YOU in them."  Now that I think about it, he is generally right.  Writers place themselves into their stories through the characters, and then they must decide "what would I do in that situation?"  There is only one way to find out, and that is to write the story and see what the character does.
     Reality is the real world, and the novel is fiction.  But the line between fiction and fact sometimes is very unclear, as some of the photos posted here in the next few weeks will show.  I intend to post images I have taken myself to demonstrate that the things around us are only as real as we imagine them to be.

  Could this be Major Tom at his basement ham radio station tracking the International Space Station?  Maybe this is Mike Troy trying out the new station at Los Angeles Air Force Base.  Maybe this is Yuri Volk practicing for a space walk on the International Space Station simulator.  You never know!  More next time.
Jonathan.

Another day for us all

I did not realize how many folks were interested in reading something I would write.  The beauty of fiction is that you can write about things you know, change things around a bit, and it appears to be "like" something you know, but not quite.  I can remember growing up and watching the first Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoon programs. One of the segments was called Fractured Fairy Tales.  Blackbird is very much like that. Over the past 10 years I have collected countless articles about the space program and learned a host of things about what is possible and what is not possible. Blackbird is entirely possible, as there is no magic involved, and everything makes sound scientific sense, sound medical sense, and does not rely too heavily on coincidence.  Although things seem familiar to some of you, and you may think you recognize some events or characters, remember the old medical axiom:  common things occur commonly.  We humans are all a lot more alike than different.  However, it is the differences that make us ALL interesting.  John

Blackbird Flies

Today is Saturday, and Blackbird is nearly on its way.  The Kindle version has already been listed on the Kindle website, and I have been informed that the paperback version of the book will be up and running on Amazon by May 17 or 18, 2011.  We shall see.  So far, I am happy with what I see.  Looking forward to discussing a lot of things about the book, and I have some illustrations/photographs to load to the net to help describe the action in the story.  More to come!

May 2 Blackbird still on the ground

This is a hobby.  I have received the PROOF copy of Blackbird on April 28, and have been reviewing it for errors, design faults, and other minor blemishes needing repair.  This will take a few days, then upload of the final version will be done, a second PROOF will be ordered, and I hope to have the entire process completed soon.  The Kindle version also is nearly done, and that will need to be error corrected, too.  Still a lot to do.

Blackbird Nearly Flies

Last night I completed the upload of Blackbird to the Amazon site for publishing.  Today I received the notice that the files and cover art are acceptable to the systems for publishing, and I may proceed with ordering the proof copy of the book.  It has been nearly eleven years to the day when I first dreamed up the idea of the Blackbird story, originally called Darkstar, and dictated the first lines into my tape recorder at 5:00am.  It has now taken on a life of its own, with characters I have known all my life.  It is a great way to have more than one life.