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"I'm a fairly visual thinker. In doing science, I think in terms of pictures of things happening, and then do the mathematics."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Nearside (Near Side) | ||
| The side of the moon closest to the earth. |
As far as I know, this is the earliest use of this familiar term - albeit with a space.
| THERE was a shading of light on the surface below him. From, the right the sun's brilliance threw black shadows and bright beams transversely over a wilderness of volcanic waste. And beyond, where the rays could not reach, was a greater desolation of darkness, its blackness relieved only by a dim light. He realized with a start of amazement that the dim light he saw was that of their own earth far above; it was lighting their approach to this sister orb.
Their side-motion was swift as they drew nearer. Another hour and more, and they were drawing toward an expanse of utter darkness. The earthlight was fading where they passed. They were approaching, in very fact, the other side of the moon... "Must we land there?" he asked. "In the dark?" "...No," he said. "You are forgetting your astronomy. This 'other side' is subject to the same conditions as the near side. The sun shines on then alike, but alternately." |
| Technovelgy from The Moon Master,
by Charles W. Diffin. Published by Astounding Stories of Super Science in 1930 Additional resources -
|
I feel pretty confident in saying that this is the same term as "nearside", but with a space. The earliest use of this term without a space is probably Picnic on Nearside (1974) by John Varley:
Compare to farside from We Have Fed Our Sea (1958) by Poul Anderson.
Come to think of it. Tranquillity Base used to be on the Nearside, before they moved it.
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'The leg was to function, in a way, as a servo-mechanism operated by Larry’s brain...'
'The observation vehicle was of that peculiar variety used in conveying a large number of people across rough terrain.'
'The real border was defended by... a swarm of quasi-independent aerostats.'
'I ... set my automatic astronomical instruments to searching for a habitable planet.'
'...haven't you a section of the factory where only robot labor is employed?'
