Science Fiction
Dictionary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Latest By
Category:
Armor
Artificial
Intelligence
Biology
Clothing
Communication
Computers
Culture
Data Storage
Displays
Engineering
Entertainment
Food
Input Devices
Lifestyle
Living Space
Manufacturing
Material
Media
Medical
Miscellaneous
Robotics
Security
Space Tech
Spacecraft
Surveillance
Transportation
Travel
Vehicle
Virtual
Person
Warfare
Weapon
Work
"The germinal societies like Singapore and communist Hong Kong may give us a mutant capitalism that is both virulent and efficient. This is a significant cultural danger."
- Gregory Benford
 |
| Luminous Stake-Markers | ||
| Illuminated pole designating a staked claim on the surface of a planet, moon or asteroid. |
This is a clever (and beautifully illustrated!) concept of staking your claim on an asteroid, moon or planetary surface. In this case, the surface of Deimos, one of the moons of Mars.
| The pool was a molten lake of eca-radium!
I was the first of all the myriads of the three worlds to lay my eyes on it! And I was rich, rich beyond all dreams of avarice! There were yet boundaries to be staked, possession claims yet to be made and entered into the Recording Office at Korna before I could call the [eca-radium] Pool mine.
 (Mining claim stake-markers from The Radium World by Frank K. Kelly) I half-ran back to the Sprite, roused a phlegmatic and indifferent Haj, burdened the two of us with a pile of luminous stake-markers, and began the monumental task of encircling the Pool with an unbreakable ring of possession claims. |
| From The Radium World,
by Frank K. Kelly. Published by Wonder Stories in 1932 Additional resources -
|
Here is an illustration of the stake-markers used to claim a designated area:
(From Placement of claim stake-markers from The Radium World by Frank K. Kelly )
Half-stumbling, half-walking, half-crawling on our knees over sharp-pointed slides of jagged rock, panting with an almost unbearable thirst, sweating beneath the load of our armor, we labored at the task for three unforgettable hours, carefully keeping our faces averted from the siren brightness of the Pool. But at last the job was done. We were very confident that our claims were now impregnable, incontestable...
See also the earliest reference to asteroid mining from Edison's Conquest of Mars (1898) by Garrett P. Serviss.
Compare to asteroid mining (blasting) from Asteroid of Gold (1932) by Clifford Simak, the meteor miner from Salvage in Space (1933) by Jack Williamson, asteroid claim law from Jurisdiction (1941) by Nat Schachner, space placers from The Day We Celebrate (1941) by Nelson S. Bond, the asteroid mining robot from Catch That Rabbit (1944) by Isaac Asimov, the asteroid mine from Love Among the Robots (1946) by Emmett McDowell, the coal mole from The Web Between the Worlds (1979) by Charles Sheffield, and asteroid metal from The Mechanical Monarch (1958) by E.C. Tubb.
Comment/Join this discussion ( 0 ) | RSS/XML | Blog This |
Additional
resources:
More Ideas
and Technology from The Radium World
More Ideas
and Technology by Frank K. Kelly
Tech news articles related to The Radium World
Tech news articles related to works by Frank K. Kelly
| China Wants 'Hard Kill' Capability To Counter Starlink Satellites |
| MOOSE: Man Out Of Space Easiest or Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment |
| NASA 'Holoports' Doctor Onto Space Station |
| Six Ships Are Now Docked At The International Space Station! |
Want to Contribute an
Item?
It's easy:
Get the name of the item, a
quote, the book's name and the author's name, and Add
it here.
| <Previous | Next> |
|
|
|
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Science Fiction Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
|
Science Fiction
Timeline
1600-1899
1900-1939
1940's 1950's
1960's 1970's
1980's 1990's
2000's 2010's
'Bird-like robots now descended from the ceiling of the theatre...'
'The efficient robot waiter of the Sky Club had cleared away the remnants of an epicurean meal.'
'...in the tank the new body and the new mind and memory and life has taken almost instant form.'
'pirate three-vee satellites sanded out of orbit...'
'The atmosphere yielded its moisture with reluctance. It had to be coaxed down...'
'Want a life-companion... sir, I can get you up any style you want.'
