Dan, Dan the Planet Man

When I began my third book, The Story of Q – The Secret of Mrs H, I asked my friend Dan, if he’d be willing to act as a consultant on my Space Camp chapters. Sure, he replied.

Dan, (better known to the world as Dr. Dan Durda, astronomer/planetary scientist) and I met a few years ago via his mother Lillian, a dear friend and neighbor. One day she asked if we ever watched any of the science channels. Oh sure I said, all the time. I’m a science geek. Well she continued, my son was on tv last night… and the rest is history.

Even though my books are works of science-fiction, I’m a stickler for making sure that you don’t have to expend too much energy suspending your disbelief, so I incorporated Dan’s knowledge and experience, making certain I got the facts straight. The following is from the acknowledgment section of my third book,

“Kudos to my friend “Dan, Dan the Planet Man” officially
known as – Dr. Dan Durda, who acted as a consultant on the Space Camp chapters.
What an honor working with a doctor of astronomy and planetary scientist. Thanks
for helping me successfully unite science with science fiction!”

His knowledge was instrumental and particularly helpful as I wrote Rachael’s description of a SpaceX launch, because he’s experienced as least fifty various launches, including the space shuttle. This excerpt is from Chapter 30 – T-Minus…

Dear Diary:

I saw the most incredible sight this morning — the launching of
a real rocket. It’s difficult to put into words. The sound actually enters you
and your entire body vibrates. You feel like you’re one with the rocket. The
ground shakes, the seats shake, well everything shakes. Oh and guess what? When
the engines ignited, we could hear hundreds of car alarms going off. It was
hilarious, but I’m sure the peeps who owned the vehicles weren’t too impressed.
LOL! Then the plumes roar out. They’re simply beautiful. Simply captivating! They look like billowy clouds,
but unlike any clouds I’ve ever seen. The colors are like one of the best sunsets
but even better because they’re so vivid. You don’t see that on TV, because the
cameras simply can’t capture it. There are intense yellows and oranges, and the
whitest of whites. It’s incredibly BRIGHT! And the plumes grow and grow and
grow. Makes you want to reach out and touch them because they appear so soft,
but that wouldn’t be a good idea now would it? Ha! We were about five miles
away from the launch pad, and I can’t imagine the intensity of the heat at
ground zero. You’d think the earth would melt! I have some photos of the launch
(taken by REAL photographers) but still, YOU HAVE TO BE HERE to capture the
sights and the sounds! It’s something that everyone should experience at least
once. Me? I plan on doing this again. After all, I have to catch up to my dad
and Professor Seffer. You know what? I think I’d like to work here. No, I take
that back, I would LOVE to work here. Man, I’d never leave! Til next we meet…

Just R

So how did he acquire the name? That came about after a discussion with my daughter Kai-Ann. We were talking about one of his shows and… well it rolls nicely off the tongue, don’t you think? Shortly after, I sat down and designed the t-shirts and surprised him with the gift last summer.

For more information regarding Dan, Dan the Planet Man, please visit:

https://history.nasa.gov/alsj/durda.html

http://www.boulder.swri.edu/~durda/

http://www.novaspaceart.com/Artists/DanDurda.html

Keep your eyes to the skies!

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