The Achilles Heel by Raymond Z. Gallun:
Science Fiction Inventions, Technology and Ideas

"Southern wasn't going to take any chances on getting caught - not he! So he forced the meek little astronomer to walk ahead of him into [the] inferno."

Clever Gallun story still satisfies after all these years. A space bandit arrives unexpectedly on an observatory on Mercury and forces an elderly astronomer to trek across the blasted ash of the closest planet to the sun! How can the tables be turned?

("The Achilles Heel" by Raymond Z. Gallun)

Found it in this copy of Amazing Stories, 1940. Select an invention:

Asbestos Sunshade
A means of shielding oneself from the sun's rays.

Atomic Blast Weapon
Reduces the target to atoms.

Darkened Glass Face Plate
The use of darkened glass on the face plate of a space suit helmet to protect the wearer from solar radiation.

Double-Pane Vacuum Window
Double-pane glass separated by vacuum.

Paralyzing Gun
Renders senseless any human in its path.

Vacuum Wall Compartments
Shielding against heat by using walls with evacuated sections.

 

Technovelgy.com is devoted to the creative inventions of science fiction authors and movie makers. Look for the Science Fiction Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary of Science Fiction Inventions, the Timeline of Science Fiction Inventions, or see what's New.
Find
new authors and technologies - Shop for yourself, your library and your lab.

 

 

 

 

Science Fiction
in the News

Robotic Barber Programmed With a Number of Styles
re: Don Wilcox
(5/17/2025)

Humanoid Boxing Robot KO's Opponent - It's A Knockout!
re: Aldo Giunta
(5/15/2025)

Caterpillar Electric Mining Loader Not Yet Ready For Moon
re: Jack Williamson
(5/13/2025)

Centipede Robots Down On The Farm
re: Fritz Leiber
(5/11/2025)

Anthropic's Claude AI Creates Legal Citation From Whole Cloth
re: Punch
(5/11/2025)

Students Vie For Lunar Regolith Mining Robot Prize
re: Pournelle and Niven
(5/9/2025)

'They Erased My Memory' Says Ariana Grande
re: Edmond Hamilton
(5/7/2025)

Solitary Black Hole Wanders In Space
re: Frank K. Kelly
(5/5/2025)

Spaceplane From Virgin Atlantic
re: Max Plaisted
(5/3/2025)

DARPA Wants 'Large Bio-Mechanical Space Structures'
re: Greg Bear
(5/1/2025)

Robot Hand Creeps Along, Separate From It's Owner
re: Philip K. Dick
(4/30/2025)

Taikonauts Exercise In China's Tiangong Space Station
re: Murray Leinster
(4/28/2025)

Korean Exoskeleton Suit F1 Helps You Put It On
re: Marvel
(4/26/2025)

Have AI Researchers Given Up On 'Bio-Babies'?
re: David Brin
(4/24/2025)

More SF in the News

Home | Glossary | Invention Timeline | Category | New | Contact Us | FAQ | Advertise |
Technovelgy.com - where science meets fiction™

Copyright© Technovelgy LLC; all rights reserved.