"Planet of Mystery", Terry Bisson

NV F&SF Jan 2006/Feb 2006
pulp fiction sci-fi
<<- F&SF Jan 2006 cover by Max Bertolini for "Planet of Mystery"

A manned space mission to the planet Venus improbably discovers a cool surface and breathable air on Venus. Astronauts Aeneas Hall and Lu-Hsun Chang are captured by amazon women riding centaurs. Lost robotic lander RB1011, or Robbie, has gained sentience. Chang falls in love with Queen of the Amazons Sha-Nee-La. After Hall reports seeing a flying saucer, orbital pilot Collins says that she considers the UFO more plausible than the centaurs and amazons because it's more scientific.

This is a lightweight tale that pokes fun at the ridiculousness of some old time sci-fi. Mission Control is mentioned as Houston and Burroughs (Mars). This novella was serialized. Part one is in the January 2006 F&SF issue, part two in the February issue.