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"Science and science fiction, how do you even distinguish the two?"
- Jerry Pournelle
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| Pressure Curtain | ||
| A force field that creates a barrier that people can pass through but air cannot - an airlock in a spacecraft. |
This seems like an early use of this idea; it predates the use of a similar idea in Star Wars.
| The civilians were chattering among themselves - "But there's no air in here!" Staley yelled.
"Not here, sir," Hasner said. He pointed. "Some kind of box thing there, makes like a curtain, Mr. Staley. Air can't get through it but we can." The Marine Gunner stepped gingerly through the invisible barrier. He had to push. "Like - maybe kind of like the Field, Mr. Staley. Only not so thick." |
| Technovelgy from The Mote in God's Eye,
by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle). Published by Simon & Schuster in 1974 Additional resources -
|
Here's the bit that names the item:
"They can build those magic pressure curtains," Staley reminded him.
"...I haven't seen any miniatures with vacuum suits..."
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Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Mote in God's Eye
More Ideas
and Technology by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)
Tech news articles related to The Mote in God's Eye
Tech news articles related to works by Larry Niven (w/J. Pournelle)
Pressure Curtain-related
news articles:
- Plasma Window Technology, Pressure Cushions and Deflector Doors
| Solar X-Flares Disrupt North American Radio And Navigation |
| Restructure An Asteroid, Spin It, Get A 'Space Habitat' With Gravity? |
| Quadruple-Star System Now Forming |
| Nuclear Rockets To Fly In Space! |
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'It's done with a flip of the third joint of the tentacle on the down beat.'
'If you surf over a bump... If you surf over a pothole...'
'Then the spreading beam of the deranging ray struck them, and they stood an instant transfixed...'
'Noiselessly, on rubber-tired wheels, they journeyed...'
'...copy two of the original document no longer can be superimposed on copy one.'
My prize robot, tall, dashing would speak and act for me...
'A palm lock must be keyed to one individual's hand shape and palm lines.'
'I have transferred the ego of a dog to a synthetic dog brain in the skull case of a robot dog.'
