Trivia / The Martian Way

• Science Marches On: When Dr Asimov wrote the story, it was believed that Saturn's main rings were ten miles thick, but more recent analysis and flyby probes have shown that those rings average around 30 feet thick. The enormous mountain-sized ice block in the story is not realistic, although they could have strung several house-sized chunks together or gone to the Kuiper Belt for ice instead.
• Technology Marches On:
  • The very first paragraph would make no sense to a person unfamiliar with analog TV.
  • Rioz complaining that Long brought "fifteen pounds of books" onboard as dead weight.
• Writer Revolt: Galaxy editor H. L. Gold insisted that Asimov include at least one female character. After getting Gold's word that he would accept the story if he made that revision, Asimov complied by writing in Dora Swenson as a scolding Sports Widow.

---