XPost: rec.arts.sf.written   
   From: dddawson@hindmost.lpl.arizona.edu   
      
   In article  tsb   
   ueni@dcn.davis.ca.us (Tim Bruening) writes:   
   >Spoilers for "Voices" the first Babylon 5 novel, written by John   
   >Vornholt:   
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   >   
   >In this novel Talia Winters is framed for bombing a Psi Corps convention   
   >on Babylon 5.  At the beginning of this book, Harriman Grey (a military   
   >telepath) disembarks on Mars, and a computer voice announces that the   
   >temperature is 201 Celcius (393.8F) and that the expected high would be   
   >274 C (525.2F).  On page 9, there is a reference to 200-degree heat,   
   >which dashed my notion that Vornholt had gotten Celcius and Kevin   
   >confused.  Later in the book, the temperature on Mars rose to 379 C   
   >(714.2F!).  Do you have any theories on how Mars could get so hot?  I   
   >thought Mars was supposed to be below freezing.   
      
   Mars is below freezing (well, in the middle of summer at the lowest point   
   on the planet, it's a bit warmer, but still).  The initial temperature   
   fits if we assume Vornholt looked up the temperature (given in K), but   
   thought that it was Celsius (and hence quite warm).  Are you sure about that   
   second number?  That fits moderately well only if it's 379 F (corresponding   
   to about 200 C, assuming the same misreading).   
      
   I've also heard the theory that Vornholt was using Mercurian temperatures,   
   which is possible, but should be accompanied by extreme cold at night.   
   Are there any nighttime temperatures given in the book?   
      
   One very annoying thing about this error is that my understanding is that   
   Vornholt is based out of Tucson, where we have one of the biggest planetary   
   science departments anywhere.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)