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General clarification on work content
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* AlienNonInterferenceClause: Played with. The human crew attempt to minimize the impact they have on the natives of Mesklin. They're even loathe to share anything more than they have to with Barlennan, and their audio-visual communication abilities are treated as [[ClarkesThirdLaw magical]] by natives. Despite this they still are forced to depend on Barlennan's help and collaborate with him the entire way.
to:
* AlienNonInterferenceClause: Played with. The human crew attempt to minimize the impact they have on the natives of Mesklin. They're even loathe to share anything more than they have to with Barlennan, and their audio-visual communication abilities are treated as [[ClarkesThirdLaw magical]] by natives. Despite this they still are forced to depend on Barlennan's help and collaborate with him the entire way. [[spoiler:In the end, Barlennan forces their hand by proving a shrewd businessman (businessbug?) and renegotiate the precious probe data in exchange for their knowledge. Although at this point, he perfectly understands that the technological advance of the humans is considerable, and that his people can only dream of catching up within many generations. But the Mesklinites are still happy with learning everything they can from the scientists.]]
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* TheFederation: The mention of humans having other races along for the expedition is made, but not dwelled upon.
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* TheFederation: The mention of humans having other races along for the expedition is made, but not dwelled dwelt upon.
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* MovingTheGoalposts: [[spoiler: Barlennan stops just short of the goal to renegotiate.]]
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* MovingTheGoalposts: [[spoiler: Barlennan [[spoiler:Barlennan stops just short of the goal to renegotiate.]]
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* TheWorldIsNotReady: The justification the humans use for why they're so cagey about sharing any information with Barlennan. [[spoiler: Eventually he gets fed up and demands more information before he'll complete his mission]]
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* TheWorldIsNotReady: The justification the humans use for why they're so cagey about sharing any information with Barlennan. [[spoiler: Eventually [[spoiler:Eventually he gets fed up and demands more information before he'll complete his mission]]mission.]]
----
----
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* AlienNonInterferenceClause: Played with. The human crew attempt to minimize the impact they have on the natives of Mesklin. They're even loathe to share anything more than they have to with Barlennan, and their audio-visual communication abilities are treated as [[ClarkesThirdLaw magical]] by natives. Despite this they still are forced to depend on Barlennan's help and collaborate with him the entire way.
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* WorldShapes: Due to the planet's intense gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites -- at least those who usually live far from the equator -- chose the wrong one for their maps and never noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
to:
* WorldShapes: Due to the planet's intense gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites -- at least those who usually live far from the equator -- chose the wrong one for their maps and never noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.premise.
* TheWorldIsNotReady: The justification the humans use for why they're so cagey about sharing any information with Barlennan. [[spoiler: Eventually he gets fed up and demands more information before he'll complete his mission]]
* TheWorldIsNotReady: The justification the humans use for why they're so cagey about sharing any information with Barlennan. [[spoiler: Eventually he gets fed up and demands more information before he'll complete his mission]]
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* PrimalFear: Mesklinites have extreme and justified fears of heights and falling objects. In the polar regions of Mesklin, falling even a very short distance is fatal and chunks of ice falling off the tops of what short cliffs there are hit the ground at the speed of sound.
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!!Tropes in ''Mission of Gravity'':
* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in the magazine Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it - including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in the magazine Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it - including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
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!!''Mission of
* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in the magazine Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it - including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in the magazine Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it -- including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
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* BoldExplorer / IntrepidMerchant: Barlennan and his crew travel into the unknown, for their planet. But they hope to make a profit, eventually.
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* BoldExplorer / IntrepidMerchant: BoldExplorer: Barlennan and his crew travel into the unknown, for their planet. But they hope [[IntrepidMerchant to make a profit, profit]], eventually.
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* WorldShapes: Due to the planet's intense gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites - at least those who usually live far from the equator - chose the wrong one for their maps and never noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
to:
* WorldShapes: Due to the planet's intense gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites - -- at least those who usually live far from the equator - -- chose the wrong one for their maps and never noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
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* WorldShapes: Due to the planet's intense gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites chose the wrong one for their maps and never noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
to:
* WorldShapes: Due to the planet's intense gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites - at least those who usually live far from the equator - chose the wrong one for their maps and never noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
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* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it - including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
to:
* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in the magazine Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it - including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
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* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike: Subverted. Mesklin is not only extremely cold, but its day is less than 20 minutes, so it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. The equator is only barely reasonable for humans to visit with assistance.
to:
* AllThereInTheManual: Clement published an essay titled ''Whirligig World'' along with the novel when it was serialized in Analog, detailing the planet Mesklin and his process for designing it - including a couple of points where he admitted to not following physics for the sake of the story.
* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike:Subverted.Extremely averted. Mesklin is not only extremely cold, but its day is less than 20 minutes, so it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. The equator is only barely reasonable for humans to visit with assistance.
* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike:
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* WeatherReportNarration: The book opens with the description of a storm hitting the ''Bree''.
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* WeatherReportNarration: WeatherReportOpening: The book opens with the description of a storm hitting the ''Bree''.
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from Hal Clement
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!Tropes in ''Mission of Gravity'':
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* FantasyWorldMap: Inverted. Clement created a globe of the planet Mesklin and wrote the story around it, but the book didn't include a map.
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''Mission of Gravity'' (1954), by Creator/HalClement, is considered to be a classic of science fiction WorldBuilding, and a great adventure.
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''Mission of Gravity'' (1954), by Creator/HalClement, is considered to be a classic of science fiction WorldBuilding, and a great adventure.
WorldBuilding.
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* HigherTechSpecies: The humans are this to the Mesklinites.
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* BoldExplorer: Barlennan and his crew travel into the unknown, for their planet.
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* BoldExplorer: BoldExplorer / IntrepidMerchant: Barlennan and his crew travel into the unknown, for their planet.planet. But they hope to make a profit, eventually.
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* ProudMerchantRace: The Mesklinites we meet in the book are primarily traders.
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* DoubleMeaningTitle: The mission involves a probe which ''studies'' gravity, and it is a mission of ''importance''.
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An extra \"inhabiting\" inhabiting the sentence.
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[[TheFederation The scientific expedition]] has a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of the strange planet Mesklin, where the surface gravity is so powerful humans cannot go down and fix the craft. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting creatures inhabiting the world, and the captain of a seagoing vessel has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
to:
[[TheFederation The scientific expedition]] has a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of the strange planet Mesklin, where the surface gravity is so powerful humans cannot go down and fix the craft. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting creatures inhabiting the world, and the captain of a seagoing vessel has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
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[[TheFederation The scientific expedition]] has a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of the strange planet Meskelin, where the gravity is so powerful humans cannot go down and fix the craft. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting creatures inhabiting the worl , and the captain of a seagoing vessel has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
to:
[[TheFederation The scientific expedition]] has a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of the strange planet Meskelin, Mesklin, where the surface gravity is so powerful humans cannot go down and fix the craft. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting creatures inhabiting the worl , world, and the captain of a seagoing vessel has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
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Barlennan, Captain of ''The Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, strange creatures, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
to:
Barlennan, Captain captain of ''The Bree'', the sailing ship ''Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where planet (where the gravity is only three times Earth's Earth's), to the pole, where pole (where gravity is several hundred ''hundred'' times Earth's.Earth's). On the way they will encounter storms, strange creatures, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
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* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike: Subverted. Meskelin is not only extremely cold, but it is shaped like a disc. The equator is only barely reasonable for humans to visit with assistance.
* BlackBox: The probe to the Meskelinites. They hope to use it as a bargaining chip.
* BlackBox: The probe to the Meskelinites. They hope to use it as a bargaining chip.
to:
* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike: Subverted. Meskelin Mesklin is not only extremely cold, but it its day is shaped like a disc.less than 20 minutes, so it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. The equator is only barely reasonable for humans to visit with assistance.
* BlackBox: Theprobe probe, to the Meskelinites.Mesklinites. They hope to use it as a bargaining chip.
* BlackBox: The
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* HeavyWorlder: The inhabitants of planet Mesklin (which not only has high gravity, but a rather odd rotation) are adjusted to this by looking somewhat like flat centipedes. The Mesklinites are the main characters of the story.
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* HeavyWorlder: The inhabitants of planet Mesklin (which not only has high gravity, but a rather odd extremely fast rotation) are adjusted to this by looking somewhat like flat centipedes. The Mesklinites are the main characters of the story.
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* InflationNegation: A great deal is made about how the probe at the pole cost TWO BILLION dollars, and indeed in 1954, 2 billion was a lot of money. Factoring inflation, 2 billion in 2015 dollars is about $230 million in 1954 dollars. And of course, and having actually ''seen'' space projects that have cost far more than that (The International Space Station alone has cost 150 billion so far), how much could those humans be costing their superiors to spend their time hanging around Mesklin waiting for Barlennan?
* InMediasRes: When we first meet Barlennan, he's already met the humans with and agreed to take the journey.
* InMediasRes: When we first meet Barlennan, he's already met the humans with and agreed to take the journey.
to:
* InflationNegation: A great deal is made about how the probe at the pole cost TWO BILLION dollars, and indeed in 1954, 2 $2 billion was a lot of money. Factoring inflation, 2 $2 billion in 2015 1954 dollars is about $230 million $17 billion in 1954 2015 dollars. And of Of course, and having actually ''seen'' space projects that have cost far more than that (The International Space Station alone has cost 150 $150 billion so far), how much could those humans be costing their superiors to spend their time hanging around Mesklin waiting for Barlennan?
* InMediasRes: When we first meet Barlennan, he's already met the humanswith and agreed to take the journey.
* InMediasRes: When we first meet Barlennan, he's already met the humans
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* WeatherReportNarration: The book opens with the description of the storm hitting ''The Bree''.
* WorldShapes: Mesklin spins so rapidly that it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. At the equator, however, the atmosphere is so dense due to the planet's intense gravity that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can "see" that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites choose the wrong one for their maps and never notice. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
* WorldShapes: Mesklin spins so rapidly that it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. At the equator, however, the atmosphere is so dense due to the planet's intense gravity that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can "see" that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites choose the wrong one for their maps and never notice. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
to:
* WeatherReportNarration: The book opens with the description of the a storm hitting ''The Bree''.
the ''Bree''.
* WorldShapes:Mesklin spins so rapidly that it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. At the equator, however, the atmosphere is so dense due Due to the planet's intense gravity gravity, the density of Mesklin's atmosphere varies so strongly with altitude that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can "see" ''see'' that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites choose chose the wrong one for their maps and never notice.noticed. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
* WorldShapes:
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* InflationNegation: A great deal is made about how the probe at the pole cost TWO BILLION dollars, and indeed in 1954, 2 billion was a lot of money. Factoring inflation, 2 billion in 1954 dollars is about $230 million in 2015. And of course, and having actually ''seen'' space projects that have cost far more than that (The International Space Station alone has cost 150 billion so far), how much could those humans be costing their superiors to spend their time hanging around Mesklin waiting for Barlennan?)
to:
* InflationNegation: A great deal is made about how the probe at the pole cost TWO BILLION dollars, and indeed in 1954, 2 billion was a lot of money. Factoring inflation, 2 billion in 1954 2015 dollars is about $230 million in 2015. 1954 dollars. And of course, and having actually ''seen'' space projects that have cost far more than that (The International Space Station alone has cost 150 billion so far), how much could those humans be costing their superiors to spend their time hanging around Mesklin waiting for Barlennan?)Barlennan?
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* BlackBox: The probe to the Meskelinites. They hope to use it as a bargaining chip.
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* InflationNegation: A great deal is made about how the probe at the pole cost TWO BILLION dollars, and indeed in 1954, 2 billion was a lot of money. Factoring inflation, 2 billion in 1954 dollars is about $230 million in 2015. And of course, and having actually ''seen'' space projects that have cost far more than that (The International Space Station alone has cost 150 billion so far), how much could those humans be costing their superiors to spend their time hanging around Mesklin waiting for Barlennan?)
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* NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup: The probe on the planet is the only one the humans have. There is no backup plan for if it doesn't launch... and it didn't.
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[[TheFederation The humans and associated races]] have a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of a strange planet perfectly suited to carry out their experiment on. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting the world of Meskelin, and the captain of a seagoing vessel has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
to:
[[TheFederation The
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Barlennan, Captain of ''The Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
''Mission of Gravity'' (1954), by Hal Clement, is considered to be a classic of science fiction WorldBuilding, and a great adventure.
''Mission of Gravity'' (1954), by Hal Clement, is considered to be a classic of science fiction WorldBuilding, and a great adventure.
to:
Barlennan, Captain of ''The Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, strange creatures, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
''Mission of Gravity'' (1954), by Hal Clement, is considered to be a classic of science fiction WorldBuilding, and a great adventure.
barbarians.
''Mission of Gravity'' (1954), by Hal Clement, is considered to be a classic of science fiction WorldBuilding, and a great adventure.
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Mission of Gravity, by Hal Clement, is considered one a science fiction classic of WorldBuilding.
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* InMediasRes: When we first meet Barlennan, he's already met the humans with and agreed to take the journey.
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* WeatherReportNarration: The book opens with the description of the storm hitting ''The Bree''.
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* MovingTheGoalposts: [[spoiler: Barlennan stops just short of the goal to renegotiate.]]
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[[TheFederation The humans and associated races]] have a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of a strange planet perfectly suited to carry out their experiment on. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting the world of Meskelin, and the captain of a seagoing vessel called ''The Bree'' has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
to:
[[TheFederation The humans and associated races]] have a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of a strange planet perfectly suited to carry out their experiment on. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting the world of Meskelin, and the captain of a seagoing vessel called ''The Bree'' has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
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Barlennan, Captain of ''the Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
to:
Barlennan, Captain of ''the ''The Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
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The humans and associated races have a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of a strange planet perfectly suited to carry out their experiment on. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting the world of Meskelin, and the captain of a seagoing vessel called ''The Bree'' has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
to:
[[TheFederation The humans and associated races races]] have a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of a strange planet perfectly suited to carry out their experiment on. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting the world of Meskelin, and the captain of a seagoing vessel called ''The Bree'' has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
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* TheFederation: The mention of humans having other races along for the expedition is made, but not dwelled upon.
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[[caption-width-right:200:some caption text]]
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[[quoteright:200:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/218d3a3177fc05f07f349966f0e23575.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:200:some caption text]]
[[caption-width-right:200:some caption text]]
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The humans and associated races have a problem. Their experiment, which is supposed to help them better understand gravitational effects is stuck on the surface of a strange planet perfectly suited to carry out their experiment on. On the bright side, there is an intelligent race of centipede-like inhabiting the world of Meskelin, and the captain of a seagoing vessel called ''The Bree'' has agreed to embark on a journey to locate the device.
And so our adventure begins.
Barlennan, Captain of ''the Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
Mission of Gravity, by Hal Clement, is considered one a science fiction classic of WorldBuilding.
!Tropes in ''Mission of Gravity'':
* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike: Subverted. Meskelin is not only extremely cold, but it is shaped like a disc. The equator is only barely reasonable for humans to visit with assistance.
* BoldExplorer: Barlennan and his crew travel into the unknown, for their planet.
* HeavyWorlder: The inhabitants of planet Mesklin (which not only has high gravity, but a rather odd rotation) are adjusted to this by looking somewhat like flat centipedes. The Mesklinites are the main characters of the story.
* HollowWorld: Due to a combination of its gravitic and atmospheric oddities, Mesklin was thought by its inhabitants to be bowl-shaped. They were incorrect.
* HumansThroughAlienEyes: This book gives us a view of humanity from an alien centipede who is terrified of heights greater than a few centimeters. The humans' insistence on standing upright seems dangerously insane.
* ProudMerchantRace: The Mesklinites we meet in the book are primarily traders.
* WorldShapes: Mesklin spins so rapidly that it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. At the equator, however, the atmosphere is so dense due to the planet's intense gravity that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can "see" that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites choose the wrong one for their maps and never notice. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.
And so our adventure begins.
Barlennan, Captain of ''the Bree'', and his crew embark on an adventure from the equator of their plate-shaped planet, where the gravity is only three times Earth's to the pole, where gravity is several hundred times Earth's. On the way they will encounter storms, unexpected geography, strange countries and barbarians.
Mission of Gravity, by Hal Clement, is considered one a science fiction classic of WorldBuilding.
!Tropes in ''Mission of Gravity'':
* AllPlanetsAreEarthlike: Subverted. Meskelin is not only extremely cold, but it is shaped like a disc. The equator is only barely reasonable for humans to visit with assistance.
* BoldExplorer: Barlennan and his crew travel into the unknown, for their planet.
* HeavyWorlder: The inhabitants of planet Mesklin (which not only has high gravity, but a rather odd rotation) are adjusted to this by looking somewhat like flat centipedes. The Mesklinites are the main characters of the story.
* HollowWorld: Due to a combination of its gravitic and atmospheric oddities, Mesklin was thought by its inhabitants to be bowl-shaped. They were incorrect.
* HumansThroughAlienEyes: This book gives us a view of humanity from an alien centipede who is terrified of heights greater than a few centimeters. The humans' insistence on standing upright seems dangerously insane.
* ProudMerchantRace: The Mesklinites we meet in the book are primarily traders.
* WorldShapes: Mesklin spins so rapidly that it's lens-shaped rather than spherical. At the equator, however, the atmosphere is so dense due to the planet's intense gravity that refraction makes it look bowl-shaped. The Mesklinites can "see" that the world curves up around them, so they believe that they live in a giant bowl. They are skilled sailors and map-makers and should know better, however when you are measuring distances on a curved surface, there are two different shapes that will make all the math work out (convex and concave). The Mesklinites choose the wrong one for their maps and never notice. The result is perfectly accurate and usable maps based on a fundamentally flawed premise.