I was 14 years old when I found the February 1964 issue of Analog in my corner malt shop in New York City (Woodside, Queens). I had already been reading both science-fiction novels and Scientific American for a few years when Schoenherr’s low-key style, combined with the magazine’s glossy large format then (March 1963 through March 1965) and its sophistication as compared to other pulps … all went a long way toward “imprinting” a strong design/philosophy on me.
Schoenherr’s covers and interior art continued to inspire me even when Analog went back to digest size. In fact, I think Schoenherr and Analog then may have had as much influence on me as anything else in my life both before and after. Being real-world expressions of long-held science-fictional conceits, Elon Musk’s rocket landings — especially the dual ones — are perhaps in the same category.
Assuming that we somehow survive the current regime in DC and the know-nothing evangelical mob populism that helped bring it to power, I look forward to seeing more science fiction become reality. I do hope that dreamers and practical visionaries like Musk allow us to outflank our potential dystopias. If I’m lucky, I still have a few more decades to watch and contribute.
