Engineers do it all the time with unmanned spacecraft, though. We manage backup systems from ground control, or we program the spacecraft to manage its own backup systems.

I think it’s possible, even doable, but likely to slip to 2019. That would be pretty standard for a space mission.

Believe it or not, autonomously piloting the spacecraft is much easier! No pesky traffic, pedestrians, or turns. There are literally thousands of satellites in Earth orbit doing it right now.

Spacecraft engineer here. You know how to take a robotic spacecraft and make it way more risky? Turn off the autonomous features, put control panels in, and ask a human to pilot it.

My suggestion: cooperative tabletop games.

I resolve to spend some time every week on my artwork: hand-drawn fantasy-style maps. I have a bunch of works in progress and I’d like to get them done and continue my work more consistently, so I can publicize them.

The thing I miss most from the EU is Corran Horn. The X-Wing series of books was fantastic, and he had a terrific character arc as he matured from starfighter pilot with a chip on his shoulder, to undercover operative, to Jedi.

FIGHT you? I’m sorry, there’s only one possible response to this article:

Don’t land in water.

As a spacecraft engineer, I see these dramatic similarities as a problem endemic to NASA and my industry as a whole. We have become far too conservative and risk averse to innovate.

Getting to ISS (or any other orbit) isn’t about gaining altitude. It’s about gaining SPEED. You have to get going seven kilometers per second or else you come right back down again.

There’s an interesting thing about the Fermi paradox viewed through the lens of humans’ own technological history: humans only have produced (and only WILL produce) broadcast signals for about fifty years out of our six or seven thousand years of recorded civilization.

Yeah, First Contact Picard is wildly unrelated to Next Generation Picard - I guess because the writers wanted an action hero instead? That trend culminated in the ridiculousness of Nemesis.

What do you mean, “yet another setback?” This is the first Falcon 9 launch failure.

Eh, never mind, came here to mention Our Mrs. Reynolds before the page loaded all the way...I see I should have waited (and had more faith in geek-kind).

Any of Brian Jaques’s Redwall books. For the accents.

Meredith, you should read the book! You will find it interesting for all sorts of reasons. For instance, there is no bad guy - and that’s fine. Why would there need to be?

It's true, they proved themselves with the Toy Story sequels. The Incredibles 2 is totally unnecessary, but for an unnecessary sequel to a standalone story, it wouldn't be the worst.

The villain's plan was just the MacGuffin, I think. The theme of the movie had more to do with Bob reconciling his family life with his desire to run off and do heroics by himself.

Let's just be clear: The Incredibles 2 should not happen. Because the original is such a perfect example of self-contained storytelling and meaningful character development. It needs no expansion.