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Newsletter Archive
May 22, 2026
Flybys, choughs and time travel.
Good news!
My writing on the final Martians book has had a breakthrough. I realised I was writing the wrong story! Don't worry, I don't have to start over. It's a question of refocusing rather than rewriting, and most of what I've got so far is actually still very relevant, fortunately including some of the best scenes I think I've written so far. The story will pivot slightly, but it'll still tie up the loose ends I know are nagging at you (as they are me) and provide you with the satisfying ending I know you've been very patiently waiting for.
Space News
NASA's Psyche mission aces Mars flyby
That's a pretty unique view of Mars - NASA's Psyche mission (named after the asteroid that is its final destination) came whipping over the Martian surface at an angle we don't usually see. The reason? To use the planet's gravity to adjust its trajectory for the intercept, without burning any fuel whatsoever. As such we got a gorgeous view of a crescent Mars, here recreated from the multi-spectral imager.
The flyby gave us some remarkable images, but more importantly acted as a dry-run for the instrumentation that will investigate the Psyche asteroid, allowing scientists to check calibration and function of magnetometers, gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers, and the cameras. It won't arrive at Psyche until 2029, since it's deep in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, but Psyche (the mission) will be using a solar-electric drive to keep itself on course.
Yes, 2-4 KW of solar power is enough to power an ion drive, which is so Sci-Fi I still find it hard to believe.
From the 'About the Mission' page:
Psyche uses solar electric propulsion. The spacecraft has four Hall-effect thrusters that use electromagnetic fields to expel charged atoms, or ions, of inert xenon gas that in turn create thrust, trailing a blue glow of xenon. Only one thruster is used at a time, providing up to 240 millinewtons of thrust – about the amount of force that you would feel holding the weight of one AA battery. Psyche will carry seven 22-gallon (82-liter) tanks of xenon propellant – up to 2,392 pounds (1,085 kilograms).
It's been in flight since 2023, so it's pretty slow-moving by space measures, but frankly I love this sort of thing.
Source: NASA
Book Recommendations
To Say Nothing of the Dog
Well this is a curious beast. I got it from a list of '10 Classic Sci-Fi books you've never heard of', which I usually skip over since these days they're often AI-generated link farms, but I'm glad I didn't skip this one.
The title is a reference to Jerome K. Jerome's "Three Men In A Boat", from which it draws certain elements. While there is a strong Sci-Fi spine to the story, there's the feel of a Victorian farce throughout, and I was often put in mind of "The Importance of Being Earnest". Not to rest on her laurels, Willis also evokes the works of Vonnegut, Wodehouse and even Douglas Adams, with a mention of Heinlein in the dedication. Most of the action takes place around Oxford, in both 2045 and 1888. When the characters return to their present, there's a delightful plot about the rebuilding of Coventry Cathedral and a seemingly irrelevant discussion of the Battle of Waterloo.
Ned is suffering "classic symptoms of excessive time travel" in a delightful and intriguing mystery spanning almost two centuries.
Those classic symptoms include disorientation, maudlin sentimentality and a tendency to become distracted by irrelevancies, which naturally cause no end of situations he struggles to extricate himself from.
I had to check when it was written, since there's passing reference to a pandemic around the 2020s, but it was published in 1997. It certainly deserves to be better known. Highly recommended for fans of light comedies of errors, time travel, bird stumps, jumble sales and penwipers.
Strange News
Choughs reappear at Tintagel Castle
In case you're unfamiliar, a chough (pronounced chuff) is a member of the corvid family, a set of birds with probably more connections to mythology and legend than any other. Whether saying 'hello Mr Magpie' or clipping the wings of the ravens at the Tower of London so they can't leave, crows and their cousins are notoriously clever. That 'cunning' makes them prime candidates for supernatural beliefs.
And when those beliefs line up with the Arthurian legends, folkorists and naturalists have a field day.
Choughs are the 'national bird' of Cornwall, but disappeared from the county in the 1970s due to habitat loss. Recent conservation efforts led to their return, and most recently they've been sighted over the ruins of Tintagel Castle, the place where Arthur was said to have been conceived.
King Arthur is said to have transformed into a chough when he died, its red feet and beak representing his bloody end.
Sadly their connection to mythology was used against them in the medieval period, as their striking red colouration was linked to fire raising and "paddling in the blood of Thomas Becket".
Source: The Guardian
Miscellany
- Earth is flying through ancient supernova debris — Radioactive iron in Antarctica - that won't cause problems.
- Why SETI might have been missing alien signals — Turbulent plasma near distant stars could blur communications.
- Seal tooth pendant reveals ancient human culture and long-distance trading — After 160 years it was finally identified.
And Finally
Thanks to those of you that enquired after Charlie from my last newsletter. As I said, I'm sure he has a home, but either he likes Lola or prefers her biscuits to his own. We managed to snap a photo of him, and I think you'll agree he's welcome to any snacks he likes.
We've hit on a bit of a theme this time around, messages (or their absence), traces of things lost and discovered, and things returning after a long absence. So I was wondering what is the most unexpected thing you've found again after considering it lost forever?
I'll share a story from a friend of mine who was convinced for months that her engagement ring had vanished. They'd turned the house upside down, checked their car, place of work, literally everywhere. Then when they were packing to move house, they found it wedged into the sole of a shoe they hadn't worn in ages.
Can you beat that?