(Dialogue in the film makes it very clear that the spaceship is nuclear powered.) The novella also inspired David Bowie's song "The Man Who Sold the World", in both its title and its central themes. Harriman appears in "Requiem" as an old man who has still not been able to go to the Moon. It was published in 1940, 11 years before "The Man Who Sold the Moon". The name "Harriman" reappears in many "Future History" stories as the name of various businesses and foundations, indicating that Harriman's impact on that timeline is significant. The name is also used in "Variable Star", a novel outlined by Heinlein but written by Spider Robinson following Heinlein's death; the novel diverges from the Future History.