The Baseline Project

Serendipity is digging for worms and striking gold. Science is full of stories where people discovered something valuable on the way to something else, and astronomy has probably led the field in that regard. We learn something unexpected every time we take a more refined measurement. “The Baseline Project” takes that idea and runs with it. What happens when you’re trying to refine the distances to the stars and instead find danger lurking in our own solar system? How do you get people to listen, and how do you get them to actually do something to address the problem? This story was written long before the debate over global warming, but the struggle to get people to understand and to believe the danger certainly rings a familiar bell. No doubt that’s because people have aways preferred sticking their heads in the sand over difficult action. Co-written with Lee Goodloe, who also collaborated with Jerry on “Sunstat,” “Moonsong,” “Down The Colorado,” “Contact,” and “Waterworld,” “The Baseline Project” tells the story of scientists everywhere who learn something the rest of the world would rather not know. "The Baseline Project" is the 19th volume in the collected short stories of Jerry Oltion. Jerry has had his short stories published in most of the major science fiction venues and has had several successful novels, including four highly acclaimed Star Trek books. He has become the most published author in the history of Analog magazine. His stories have won the Nebula award, the Endeavor award, the Seiun award, and have been nominated multiple times for the Hugo award. His stories are often humorous, with likeable characters using intelligence and competence (as opposed to force and violence) to solve their problems. His style harks back to the golden age of science fiction, yet with a modern sensibility and relevance. Even his earliest works hold up well today — and on into the future. For a complete listing of Jerry's canon, and for a glimpse into his other life as an amateur astronomer, visit Jerry's website at www.jerryoltion.com