(Hard SF) Karie's brother died in Martian orbit, and NASA died with him. Ever since, she's been lobbying for another mission, and now she has support from an unexpected quarter. (7,100 words; Time: 23m)
Rating: ★★★★☆ Recommended
"Tribute," by Jack Skillingstead [bio] (edited by Bryan Thomas Schmidt), appeared in Mission: Tomorrow (RSR review), published on October 15, 2015 by Baen Books.
Mini-Review (click to view--possible spoilers)
Pro: The story stars with Danny Chen dying, and it ends with him finally making it to Mars. Katie wants to establish a presence on Mars, and she actually does so--albeit with fewer people than she wanted. The story wraps things up neatly.
We're given lots of reasons to be suspicious of support coming from Alastair Brennerman, as well as indications that Alastair disapproves of his son's interest in space travel. Accordingly, the conclusion that he caused the problems with their landing rings true.
Con: It's surprising that they cannot do anything on Mars to attract attention on Earth, given the resources at their disposal.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Jack Skillingstead Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
We're given lots of reasons to be suspicious of support coming from Alastair Brennerman, as well as indications that Alastair disapproves of his son's interest in space travel. Accordingly, the conclusion that he caused the problems with their landing rings true.
Con: It's surprising that they cannot do anything on Mars to attract attention on Earth, given the resources at their disposal.
Other Reviews: Search Web, GoodReads.com
Jack Skillingstead Info: Interviews, Websites, ISFDB, FreeSFOnline
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