Asteroid (radio)

Asteroid is a radio program from the American radio anthology series "Radio Tales". The anthology series adapted classic works of American and world literature for the radio. The series was a recipient of numerous awards, including four Gracie Allen Awards from the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television (in 2004, [ [http://www.awrt.org/press-releases/2004/Press_Release_%20Announce_Winners.pdf "AWRT Press Release"] AWRT.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2003, [ [http://www.npr.org/about/press/030402.gracie.html "NPR Productions Win Gracie Allen Awards"] NPR.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] 2001, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20011126020253/www.awrt.org/awards/2000GracieWinners.html "2001 Gracie Allen Award Winners"] AWRT.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and 1998), a New York Festivals WorldMedal, [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207122048/http://www.newyorkfestivals.com/res/pdf/2004RPwinners.pdf "2004 Winners, Radio Programming and Promotion, New York Festivals"] NewYorkFestivals.com, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] and a Golden Reel Merit Award. [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20010802161539/www.nfcb.org/2001reelsinfo.html "NFCB Announces 2001 Golden Reel Award Winners"] NFCB.org, as indexed by the Internet Archive at Archive.org. Accessed March 21, 2008.] The “Asteroid" program from the Radio Tales series was an adaptation of the classic short story “The Star” by H. G. Wells.

Broadcast History

The Radio Tales production of “Asteroid” was first broadcast via NPR on August 14, 2001 [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Summer 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. III] . The program encompassed one half-hour installment that was distributed to NPR member stations as part of the NPR Playhouse cultural series. Since November 28th, 2002, the entire Radio Tales series has aired in reruns on the Sonic Theater channel (163) of the XM Satellite Radio service [ [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/features/sonictheater.xmc "Sonic Theater"] XMRadio.com. Accessed May 22, 2008.] . The “Asteroid” program debuted on the Sonic Theater channel on July 5, 2003.

Production Information

The program was produced and script edited by series producer Winnie Waldron, who also served as the on-air host [ [http://www.winifredphillips.com/wp_bio.html "Winifred Phillips Official Site: Biography"] Winifredphillips.com. Accessed May 19, 2008.] . Composer Winifred Phillips created over twenty-eight minutes of music for the program, and also performed as the featured actress [ [http://www.mninter.net/~jstearns/nprPH.html#top "NPR Playhouse - January - March, 2001"] MNinter.net. Accessed March 21, 2008.] . “Asteroid” was part of the sixth year of Radio Tales on NPR Playhouse [National Public Radio: "NPR Quarterly Edition Summer 2001". NPR Marketing, Vol. VII, No. III] .

Opening narration

Plot Summary

Scientists detect an asteroid on a collision course with Mars, but the general public pays little attention until a large explosion is observed several thousand miles from the Martian surface, altering the asteroid’s course. Thereafter the new path of the asteroid is projected as either an impact event upon the planet Earth, or a near miss. As the asteroid becomes visible in the night sky, and the passage of time shows it to grow larger and larger as it draws near, the population of the planet comes to the stark realization of the danger. Glowing white hot by the action of gravitational forces, the asteroid passes well within the orbit of Earth’s moon, and the calamitous events which had been predicted begin to unfold.

First come the storms, and then the floods. Snow-capped mountains begin to thaw, and all the rivers overflow their banks, pursuing the evacuating throngs while the tides rise higher than at any time in the history of the world. Whole cities are swallowed by the sea, and a series of earthquakes tear apart what little remains, while volcanos explode and vomit their lava in great streams that surge down to the sea. A tidal wave rises up in the wake of the passing asteroid and thunders across the globe, rising to fifty feet as it smashes across Asia, while the jungles of India glow with a thousand fires. With no other recourse, the remnants of humanity take to the open sea in countless ships.

Then, it seems as if the asteroid and the sun charge each other from opposite ends of the sky, slowing as they advance and then at last merging into one disc of incandescence. To those survivors with the education to comprehend these events, the meaning becomes rapidly clear. The asteroid has finally passed the Earth and is now continuing onward towards its final immolation in the heart of the sun. For days afterward the storms continue to rage, and the water pours off the land in great torrents, but at last a thunderous calm ensues, and humanity begins the process of rebuilding what was lost.

From their observatories, the astronomers on Mars watch these occurrences with interest and a little sense of responsibility. They had, after all, deflected the course of the asteroid away from Mars with their missiles, and kept it from destroying their own homeworld at the expense of their blue-green sister planet. Nevertheless, the Martians find it remarkable that the outlines of their sister planet’s continents have not been disturbed, nor have the seas changed in their shapes, and it is only by the shrinkage of those masses of white at the poles (assumed to be frozen water) that one can determine any alteration to the planet at all.

As the story ends, the omniscient narrator remarks how extraordinary it is that only a few million miles can make the greatest of all human disasters seem so small.

References

External Links

* [http://www.radiotales.com/ The Official Radio Tales® Web Site]
* [http://www.audioville.co.uk/store/view_productcategory.php?Id=59 Radio Tales® Streaming Audio Samples on AudioVille]
* [http://www.xmradio.com/onxm/channelpage.xmc?ch=163 XM Satellite Radio – Information on the Sonic Theater Channel]