# Ben Bova

Ben Bova (born November 8, 1932 – November 29, 2020) is an American science fiction author and editor, President Emeritus of the National Space Society, and a past President of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

## Quotes

* My first published novel was written for teenagers, and there were rules laid down by the publisher: no sex, no smoking, no swearing. I blew up entire solar systems, I consigned billions of people to horrible death; they didn't seem to mind that at all. But no hanky-panky.
** As quoted in "Men on Mars, Women on Venus" by Jay McDonald at Bookpage (June 1999)
* I think it's perfectly OK to exploit the moon. Largely for two reasons: there's no life there, and it is close enough and rich enough in resources to be economically useful to Earth. In the final analysis, everything we do in space, if it does not help the people of Earth, all the people, it's not going to happen.
** As quoted in "Men on Mars, Women on Venus" by Jay McDonald at Bookpage (June 1999)

### Short Fiction and Essays
#### Where Is Everybody? (1963)

    Originally published in the May 1963 issue of Amazing Stories. Page numbers per the reprint in Judith Merril (ed.), The 9th Annual of the Year’s Best S-F.
* Consider the history of the earth. Let the height of the Empire State Building represent the planet’s five billion years of existence. Man's one-million-year tenure on earth can then be represented by a one-foot ruler, standing at the very top of the building. A dime placed at the top of the ruler represents the entire span of man's civilization. And, at the very top of the whole wobbly conglomerate, is glued a postage stamp —this represents the length of time since man has developed modern science.
** p. 221
* If astronomy has taught man anything it is the painful fact that we are not special creatures in any sense of the term. Our star is an average one, and the conditions that led to the formation of our planet and ourselves were probably not very extraordinary.
** p. 226

#### Orion Among The Stars (1995)

* Your job is not to die for your country. Your job is to get the other poor sonofabitch to die for his country.

### Saturn (2003)

    The chapters are not numbered. Page numbers are from the mass market paperback edition published by Tor Books, ISBN 0-812-57942-9, second printing (September 2004)
* “The real problem,” Eberly burst out, “is that these regulations were written by people who live in a world that must be tightly controlled. They all share the same basic, underlying view that society must be hierarchical and controlled from the top.” Wilmot felt pleased that the discussion was moving into his field of interest. “Aren’t all societies controlled from the top? Even so-called democracies are ruled by a small elite group; the only difference is that a democracy can shift its elite without bloodshed and give the general populace the illusion that they have made a telling change.”
** “Departure Plus 284 Days” (p. 115)
* “A teacher?” Vyborg gasped. “They got rid of him in Mexico because he was teaching unauthorized garbage. Do you want him teaching his blasphemies here?” Berkowitz’s smile diminished by less than a millimeter. “Freedom of thought is not blasphemous, Sammi. He’s a great teacher.”
** “Departure Plus 317 Days” (p. 134)
* He’s so doggone narrow-minded he could look through a keyhole with both eyes.
** “Vision of Saturn” (p. 222)
* “Wake up in there!” Fritz hollered. “I’m awake,” said Gaeta. “These days you spend too much time in bed and not enough time sleeping.”
** “Snowball Fight” (p. 340)
* Even snaky little Vyborg chatted happily with a few of the glowing-eyed young women that clustered about him, Eberly noted. Power goes to some people’s heads; in other people, power goes straight to the groin.
** “Saturn Arrival Minus 1 Day, 7 Hours” (p. 397)

## External links

* Ben Bova official site
* Ben Bova at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database
* Ben Bova at the Internet Book List
* Ben Bova on Hour25
* 25-page excerpt from Mars Life in PDF
* Mars Life: Mankind’s Future in Space by Ben Bova
* Interview on the SciFiDimensions Podcast