A female astronaut isn't exactly the stuff of science fiction, but pit her against some vengeful, high-tech aliens, and now we're talking. (Image courtesy Martin Barraud/Getty Images)

We have found the way to (some of) your scientific hearts at long last — with science fiction. After Tuesday’s podcast on why science fiction matters went live, we heard from quite a few of you guys. Which we love, because sometimes while we’re recording these sessions in the sweat-inducing podcast studio, it seems like we’re operating in a vacuum.

But we know that’s not the case. Not when you write in to give us a well-deserved tongue lashing for not including science-fiction master Robert Heinlein during our initial session. Don’t worry, we’ll get to him. There will be more of these. The point of this first one was to discuss a few favorites and get the conversation rolling. A few more of you guys wrote in to second the nomination of “Ender’s Game.” And of course a couple of you sent suggestions of your own, like these:

• “Kaleidoscope Century” by John Barnes
• “Stranger in a Strange Land” by Robert Heinlein
• “To Sail Beyond the Sunset” also by Heinlein
• “Cryptonomicon” by Neal Stephenson
• “Snow Crash” also by Stephenson
• “The Man in the High Castle” by Philip K. Dick

So thank you. I’m sure there are many more, so write in and tell us what your favorites are. We’re always looking to add a new pick to the pile, especially me, a relative newbie to the genre but a voracious reader. If you’re searching for a new sci-fi fix, check out these lists of Hugo and Nebula Award winners. And in case you’re wondering why we chose to talk about science fiction at all, the topic seemed like a natural fit. It’s hard to talk about science without talking about science fiction and vice versa. Plus, RL is a sci-fi junkie.

This week also saw the start of our cosmic birthing series, beginning with stars. We’re going to cover planets and galaxies, too, so keep your eyes peeled. And keep the discussion going with RL and me on Facebook and Twitter, too. Now excuse me while I go celebrate the 30th anniversary of Pacman.