E.E. 'Doc' Smith: Science Fiction Technology and Ideas

E.E. 'Doc' Smith:
Science Fiction Technology and Ideas

Edward Elmer Smith (1890-1965) was the science fiction author who wrote the Lensman series and the Skylark series. He was born in Idaho; he received his doctorate in Chemical Engineering from George Washington University in 1919. He worked as a 'food technologist' for the Dawn Doughnut Company, then worked for the US Army from 1941-1945. His novels are considered by most fans to be the progenitors of the 'space opera' genre; Smith himself stated that he preferred to invent fictional technologies that are not strictly impossible.

Invention/Technology	Source Work (Publication Date)
Flying Wing - Northrup's all-metal dream A V-shaped plane capable of flight to the edge of the atmosphere.	Triplanetary (1934)
Fontema A strange two 'wheeled' animal.	First Lensman (1950)
Groundcar (or Ground Car) - the old-fashioned present A non-skimming, non-flying vehicle.	Galactic Patrol (1937)
Inertialess Drive Faster-than-light travel achieved!	Triplanetary (1934)
Ingestible Communication Capsule - only in emergencies A tiny transmitter that can be swallowed, which makes possible voice communication.	Triplanetary (1934)
Invisibility Shield A means of concealing a physical object to the naked eye.	Triplanetary (1934)
Lewiston Standard blaster pistol with terrifying power.	Triplanetary (1934)
Leybyrdite - Perfect for space axes Extremely tough crystalline metal.	Subspace Explorers (1965)
Lifeboat A small space-worthy craft that can be jettisoned from a larger ship, to save its crew.	Spacehounds of IPC (1931)
Manual Search For Habitable Planet A tedious search for habitable planets by hand.	Skylark of Valeron (1934)
Matched-Frequency Separable Units Devices that can draw power wirelessly from a matched source.	Skylark Three (1930)
Moving a Planet - early use of idea Early use of the concept of moving a planet to a new sun.	Triplanetary (1934)
Needle-Ray Very thin beam of destruction.	Skylark of Valeron (1934)
Negative Acceleration Turning a torchship through a half-circle, thereby applying force in the direction of motion, slowing the ship down.	Skylark of Space (1928)
Neutronium - how dense is it Extremely dense material.	Skylark Three (1930)
Pentavalent Nitrogen - most powerful chemical explosive. A high explosive formed from nitrogen.	Spacehounds of IPC (1931)
Platinum Alloy Disc - first CD or DVD? A silvery disc used for data record storage.	Triplanetary (1934)
Pressor (Pressor Beam) - push not pull A force-field beam that pushes, rather than pulls.	Spacehounds of IPC (1931)
Pressure-Suit A pressurized suit for use in the airless void of space.	Skylark of Space (1928)
Protective Shield - personal force field An energy shield for one person.	Triplanetary (1934)

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