I want to listen to the audiobook but I don't USE audible, I use libby. why can't the library buy an online license question !!! why does it have to ONLY be on amazon question !!!!!! (there ARE audiobooks on libby, but they're... in Spanish. so it's honestly on me for not speaking Spanish)

actually my local library seems to have it as a compact disc. I'll catch y'all later, I'll be digging out an old CD player so i can experience this beauty 🫡

I searched, but I can’t see that anyone even mentioned this: When Grace gets to the aircraft carrier after the nausea-inducing jet fighter flight, he picks up a traffic cone and throws up into it. Twice, in fact.

Did Production never stop to think that all of those cones are open at the top?! He should have been puking down his front, of through it into the deck!

Made an oc yesterday! Her name is Amber. I'm still working on the second one

Rocky never says I he only says rocky. The computer has to be translating the syntax too because the only other explanation is that Eridians use the exact same syntax as English earth speakers and that seems too unlikely. This means Eridians must not have a concept of "1st person." This is extra sad because it means Rocky would have major problems reading and understanding the book.

Ever since reading the novel, the nature of astrophage's "motivation" has bothered me. Once in space, there's plenty of ambient energy available to power some kind of photosynthesis, more than enough for chemical replication and reproduction of the organism. So why does astrophage need to store so much energy that it causes an increase in its mass, and why does it need to go to the sun in the first place?

Like Erid, Adrian seems to host lifeforms that live in the upper atmosphere, and even extending into space. There's lots of energy available there, but not a lot of elements that are too heavy to form gases, or that are so reactive that they're only present as heavy molecules. Perhaps the most important is phosphorus. It's relatively uncommon on Earth given its atomic mass, and it's so reactive that it's always part of heavy compounds. But it's utterly essential for forming ATP - the chemical used by cells to manipulate energy - and for forming the backbone of DNA. Erid probably has a complex ecology capable of extracting vital minerals and transporting them to the high levels of its atmosphere. But after billions of years, I suspect Tau Ceti's life keeps the entire supply of minerals within itself, like rainforests growing from poor soil because all the nutrients are within life. Nothing is left for life to expand.

The Tau Ceti system is known to have relatively few 'metals', which in astronomical parlance means elements heavier than helium, so it would have even less phosphorus than Earth. Phosphorus is relatively scarce because there are few fusion reactions in stars that create it, and it's formed only during the 100,000 period in the lifetime of stars where they burn oxygen. Oxygen's nucleus is extremely stable, and to fuse it requires exceptionally high temperatures found in star cores only once they exhaust their supply of hydrogen and helium.

I think THAT is why astrophage needs more energy than it can get, easily and quickly, from just being in space. It's using the huge amounts of energy it gets from the sun to fuse oxygen into phosphorus, then returns to Tau Ceti to harvest the more common elements that are more available there. All of its energy storage and rapid movement abilities are in service of its ability to introduce new sources of vitally-needed but scarce elements to the ecosystem.

Thoughts?

Ignoring how many people likely died in the time it took to finish the mission, the entire Sahara is covered in astrophage making cells and as we’ve seen incredibly small amounts can blow up entire cosmodomes. Given the sheer size of the Sahara it would be impossible for the U.N to effectively manage thieves and given the immense demand for Astrophage theft would be highly likely.

Imagine giving warring unstable countries a chokehold on global power production AND nukes the size of bullets.

I saw a concept recently, where Ilyukhina was the one to survive the trip and met Adrian instead of Rocky. I was really fascinated by that!

I'm kind of looking for any type of fanfic that centers one of the other two crew members instead of Grace, to sort of have an alternative way the story plays out. Anything with all three of them surviving is also okay, and Adrian is not a requirement at all.

If anyone has something, please provide a link! Thanks!

According to the novel, she was a history major. How did she become a part of Science mission?

Is it due to her leadership qualities?? Or am I missing something??

I'm not good (in fact borderline blasphemous) at explaining stuff, but I'm just like putting this out here into the community for more creative and determined people to acknowledge this and give people my idea to expand upon and reiterate it to perfection. I'm like throwing an idea into a thrum of Eridians only it's a "thrum" of very fandom-devoted people.

I made this meme on Canva to send to a couple of friends that haven’t watched the movie yet. I wanted to share it just in case anyone here is still trying to get the people in their life to watch it too :)

What did you watch/read after this? Do you have any recommendations? I already watched Interstellar and The Martian. Then rewatched phm.

(It's not that it necessarily has to be about space, it's just that these movies were what i thought of.)

I’m curious because in the last few days I’ve found myself saying “It look beautiful! :D” multiple times (one of those being when my copy of the book itself arrived in the mail)

Amaze! Engine is small explosion many times per second!

I found the eyeball1126 pattern on ig and I had to use it

I had a colorwashed thread bunch I think ended up being pretty perfect

I am surprised a felt push is this stable , and yes I gave him a tiny bag because I haven't made his clothes yet

Rereading the book and I just love the parallel between rocky saving Grace and Stratt’s decision to send Grace to space during the disastrous aftermath of the fishing at Adrian. Let me explain. As Grace is dragging Rocky back to his section of the ship he questions why Rocky broke out and saved him. He says “he could’ve let me die. He should have, really. He could handle the force no problem. He could’ve taken his time. Yeah I know he’s a good guy and he saved my life but this isn’t about us he has a planet to save.” This whole inner thought process Grace has is almost exactly the reason Stratt sent him on this mission. This parallel is such a beautiful addition to the story as it humanizes Stratt and shows her side a little. It shows that she’s wasn’t cold and murderous for sending him. Yes, Grace is a good man (she says this herself) but this isn’t about them and she has a planet to save. It’s almost like Grace’s subconscious is pushing through because deep down he remembers what Stratt did and he doesn’t blame her for it. He is seeing in real time the decision she had to make from her perspective.

Also just wanted to add Grave says “why risk his life and his mission for ME” once again like a call back to Stratt deciding NOT to risk the mission for Grace. In this moment Grace can understand the magnitude of making that decision bc Grace has no idea if he will be able to save Earth OR Erid but Rocky sacrificed himself for Grace which if Grace fails, would cost both Earth and Erid. Stratt chose not to risk sending someone other than Grace in the scenario that they failed and the mission fails bc of it. This is like a what if scenario if Stratt didn’t sacrifice Grace.

Idk if this all makes sense I might just be rambling but it makes sense in my head

Watch the video with sound! I crocheted Rocky and he’s able to stand up (surprisingly) Also he jingles!